ok, let me put it very simply:
if you have a job offer -> regular process -> reasonably fast
if you don't have a job offer -> simplified process -> can take years
Of course, if you have a job offer, it's a lot better, but for that, you need to find an employer who's willing to (a) hire you even without seeing out and to (b) go through the bureaucracy involved in hiring a foreigner, before you can even apply for the regular process. so it still takes time.