The German Federal Employment Agency (BA) rejected 27,000 job offers for Americans and other non-EU citizens in 2016.

The reasoning for the rejections were because their work could arguably be performed by a German, or because the job paid too little. The figure was double the number from 2014.

The BA states that over the past two years, the number of applications for job offer approvals from refugees and other non-EU citizens has risen greatly. The number of requests that were approved roughly tripled, from about 68,000 in 2014 to 215,000 in 2016.

After receiving a job offer in Germany, foreigners who need a residence permit to stay in the country must also have that offer approved by the Employment Agency. The BA examines whether the job could also be performed by a German or another EU citizen - a process referred to as a “priority test”.