Is this salary Blue Card eligible?
The EU Blue Card (§18g AufenthG) is the standard permit for university-qualified professionals from non-EU countries. IT roles fall under the shortage-occupation analysis — and since 2024, IT specialists without a degree can qualify through §18g Abs. 2. Check a salary against the verified 2026 thresholds.
Thresholds and rules change annually; confirm with official sources (e.g. make-it-in-germany.com), the responsible German mission, or your Velai account manager.
Blue Card calculator
Verified 2026 thresholds · §18g AufenthG
Pick your role category, enter the gross annual salary from the offer, your years of IT work in the last seven years and the degree status — then check. The tool returns eligible — or the exact euro gap — plus the next steps your account manager would take. Nothing is stored; the checker is free and needs no signup.
standard · all occupations
€50,700
reduced · all IT roles · recent graduates · §18g Abs. 2
€45,934.20
A real person reads every profile. Velai is run from Germany by people who made the move themselves.
Kadadsan Kanagasingam
Managing Director, Kilum Automation & Service GmbH
Degree recognition check
Is the university listed as Anabin H+? When is a ZAB Statement of Comparability needed?
The relocation timeline
The 12 steps from signed contract to first working day — with owners and documents.
What the Blue Card is
One degree requirement, one salary threshold — set anew every year. Most internationally hired software & IT professionals in Germany travel on it.
Who it is for
University graduates from non-EU countries with a German job offer that pays above the annual salary threshold. The degree must be recognised in Germany — Anabin H+ or a ZAB Statement of Comparability is the usual proof. Since 2024, §18g Abs. 2 also opens the Blue Card to IT specialists without a formal degree who have at least three years of IT experience from the last seven. No German language test is required for the permit itself.
Two salaries apply each year: a standard threshold for all occupations and a lower one for shortage occupations — which includes all IT roles — as well as recent graduates (degree awarded within the last three years) and IT specialists without a degree under §18g Abs. 2. The numbers below are verified and change annually.
€50,700
standard
all occupations
€45,934.20
reduced
all IT roles · recent graduates · §18g Abs. 2
2026 thresholds published in the Bundesanzeiger (BAnz AT 18.12.2025 B3) — recalculated every year.
What the result means
Eligible: the salary clears the threshold for the selected role and experience — a complete application is the next step, not a guarantee. A gap shows exactly how far the offer sits below the threshold. Missing recognition points you to the ZAB route, and qualifying IT experience can still open the §18g Abs. 2 route.
- §18g Abs. 2The main no-degree path for IT: at least three years of IT experience from the last seven years, plus a qualifying job offer — the salary threshold is the reduced one.
- §19cThe separate IT-specialist permit (§19c) — an alternative in some cases for experienced professionals without a formal degree.
- §16dThe recognition partnership allows working in Germany while a qualification is completed.
Hiring? Velai verifies every candidate's degree status and Blue Card fit before a profile reaches you.
Software or IT professional in India? Run your own numbers, then request a review. Nothing to pay to join, be reviewed or interview.
Thresholds and rules change annually; confirm with official sources (e.g. make-it-in-germany.com), the responsible German mission, or your Velai account manager. make-it-in-germany.com
Salary fits? Take the next step.
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