Computer specialists with either a bachelor's or a master's degree from recognised University or polytechnic college in any IT-related subject such as computer science or communications engineering will be eligible.

Specialists without a college degree can also work in Germany provided the employer agrees in writing to pay an annual salary of DM 100,000 or more (before taxes and deduction), said Hans-Peter Griesheimer, director, Labour Office, City of Frankfurt am Main at a seminar on`The Frankfurt model and Germany's New Visa Policy' in Chennai.

The seminar was organised by Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. Applications can be sent online through the job fair site- www.arbeitsamt.de developed by Federal Employment Agency apart from the site Bonn-ZAV.IT-Experts@arbeitsamt.de of `Zentralstelle fur Arbeitsvermittlung' (ZAV) in Bonn. After having found a job, a work permit has to be obtained, for which the prospective employer will apply for a written notice of intent to issue a work permit at the local employment office, he said. However, nationals of EU-member states do not require work permit in Germany, as there is free movement of labour within the EU, he added.

The work permit is normally issued, based on the length of the employment contract, but cannot exceed five years. And to start with, only 10,000 work permits will be issued. After this, a study will be conducted to determine if there is a need for 10,000 more IT specialists.