Wadephul courts skilled workers for Germany in São Paulo

Signals to future immigrants

Wadephul also formulated a clear commitment to a welcoming society: anyone willing to integrate into German society, accept its rules, learn the language, and contribute something, "soll dazugehören und soll Teil des Ganzen sein." Germany, the minister added, is "in einem Lernprozess" when it comes to who is German and who can be naturalized.

At the same time, the minister acknowledged problems associated with migration. He spoke of crime in the context of immigration as a factor and also cited "auch viele Überreaktionen von Deutschen, die auch problematisch sind und die unnötig sind." He announced that anyone spreading a different political narrative would be contradicted "sehr, sehr deutlich."

For his recruitment appearance in Brazil, Wadephul used the infrastructure of the Goethe-Institut and German international schools. As Jörg Klinner, head of "Language Work South America" at the Goethe-Institut São Paulo, reported, around 2,800 women and men attend Goethe-Institut courses in Brazil each year; across Brazil, approximately 10,000 people take language exams annually.

German schools and Goethe-Institutes as bridges

Wadephul also highlighted the great importance of German international schools. More than 10,000 children and young people attend such a school in Brazil, he explained – there are four international schools in the country. The German School São Paulo is, according to his remarks, the largest German international school worldwide, with more than 8,000 students. These institutions are "unverzichtbar" for teaching the German language and for integration.

Among those present, according to the report, was 18-year-old Victor, who told the minister of his plan to travel to Cottbus in Brandenburg for training as a nurse. That many Brazilians find their way to Germany is illustrated by another figure: 80 percent of those who pass the Abitur at German international schools in Brazil subsequently go on to study in Germany.

Free trade agreement on the agenda

The following day, a meeting between Wadephul and his Brazilian counterpart Vieira was scheduled. According to dpa-AFX, the focus was on the implementation of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American Mercosur states, which had provisionally entered into force at the beginning of May.

With regard to the agreement, Wadephul once again appealed for confidence: "Deutschland braucht dringend Fachkräfte – und die Offenheit, sie in unserem Land willkommen zu heißen." The visit to São Paulo is part of the federal government's efforts to facilitate qualified immigration from non-EU countries while openly addressing existing reservations among the population as well as among potential immigrants.

The report was broadcast by Deutschlandfunk on July 2, 2026; the report from São Paulo was filed by the dpa-AFX news agency.