The recognition of foreign professional qualifications supports the integration of foreign skilled workers into the German labour market and secures Germany's skills base. Many companies, hospitals and care facilities have already come to depend on foreign skilled labour and this trend is set to intensify. The Federal Government therefore introduced the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act, which took effect in 2012 and governs the recognition of foreign professional qualifications that come under federal responsibility. The 2019 Report on the Recognition Act is based on a monitoring exercise as well as official statistics and seven years of experience with the Recognition Act and it also takes a look ahead to future challenges.