# Couple to move to Germany



## Izzyloo (Jan 4, 2016)

Good morning all! 

I am quite relieved that I found this forum. My name is Elizabeth and I have made the decision to move to Germany ten years from now. Ten years is the perfect amount of time for me to pay off my student loans, finish school and continue in my career and save money, same as my fiancé. 

I have wanted to move to Germany ever since I left as a child(parents were military), as it has always felt like home to me, and I know I will never be satisfied here in the US.

I suppose, and please excuse the redundancy, that I just really have no clue what first steps to take to start the journey, aside from paying off my debts here and starting to save money, of course. 

If anyone could help point me in the right direction, or even offer some advice, I would be so grateful. 

Thank you guys for your time! 

Elizabeth


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Izzyloo said:


> Good morning all!
> 
> I am quite relieved that I found this forum. My name is Elizabeth and I have made the decision to move to Germany ten years from now. Ten years is the perfect amount of time for me to pay off my student loans, finish school and continue in my career and save money, same as my fiancé.
> 
> ...


Nobody can guess what Germany's immigration laws will look like in ten years' time (especially with the current situation, I expect laws to change in the next few years).

As per the current rules, in a nutshell, you will either need a sponsor (employer able and willing to sponsor you) or money and a business plan that the authorities deem likely to be successful and of value to the local economy. There is also the possibility of a freelance visa but this would restrict you to a specific field of work and you can't have dependents, so both of you would have to qualify separately.

Do you or your fiancé hold any EEA nationalities?

German language skills are always a big plus, so acquiring some or brushing up on existing skills/perfecting them would be something you could start on now.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Depending on your degree and job skills it may or may not be easy for you to move to Germany. But certainly paying off student loans is not the first step - in fact it might be hugely advantageous to go as soon as possible.

There's a nice little loophole if your loans are on an income-based repayment plan: what you owe is determined by your earned income on your US taxes, but if you're working abroad and earning less than approximately $100k, the foreign earned income exclusion reduces earned income to zero, which then reduces loan payments to zero, and after 25 years the loans are forgiven (although that lump sum is considered taxable).


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Definitely learn German. And as you pursue your career, make sure your employer knows of your interest in German and Germany. If you can, try to get involved in "international" projects at work - that way you might even get the odd trip to Europe or even to Germany itself. 

No matter what line of work you're in, the profession probably works just a bit differently there. Study up! Make a point of learning how your profession works in Germany, what the requirements are, etc. At some point down the road, there may be a chance to get transferred rather than having to pay for the move all yourself. 

And try to make the odd trip over to Germany on your own. Granted, being a tourist isn't at all like actually living there, but it keeps you in touch with what's going on. Read or at least scan German news publications (Der Spiegel, Stern, Frankfurter Allgemein) to get a feel for current events and trends. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## Izzyloo (Jan 4, 2016)

ALKB said:


> Izzyloo said:
> 
> 
> > Good morning all!
> ...



Thank you for your reply! 

We do not have any ties or EEA nationalities, unfortunately. I have a good friend in Germany currently, but I'm not sure what that does for me. 

And I gave myself a ten year span so that I could save money, visit a few times and because of my loans. I read a reply just now about how actually having student loans could be advantageous, and I am quite interested now, and will be researching fervently.  

I will also need to research the availability/need for veterinary technicians and pharmacy technicians as that is what I and my fiancé are, respectively. 

I will also have to figure out with whom I need to speak to learn more here in the states, I suppose? 

This is all very new for me, so I appreciate the patience. You all are wonderful!


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## Izzyloo (Jan 4, 2016)

Nononymous said:


> Depending on your degree and job skills it may or may not be easy for you to move to Germany. But certainly paying off student loans is not the first step - in fact it might be hugely advantageous to go as soon as possible.
> 
> There's a nice little loophole if your loans are on an income-based repayment plan: what you owe is determined by your earned income on your US taxes, but if you're working abroad and earning less than approximately $100k, the foreign earned income exclusion reduces earned income to zero, which then reduces loan payments to zero, and after 25 years the loans are forgiven (although that lump sum is considered taxable).



I will be, as I said before, researching this at great length! Thank you so much for the information!  

As I said in my previous response, I am a veterinary technician, and currently still talking classes on that certification, so I'm not sure what the demand is for that, or even the salary in Germany.


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## Izzyloo (Jan 4, 2016)

Bevdeforges said:


> Definitely learn German. And as you pursue your career, make sure your employer knows of your interest in German and Germany. If you can, try to get involved in "international" projects at work - that way you might even get the odd trip to Europe or even to Germany itself.
> 
> No matter what line of work you're in, the profession probably works just a bit differently there. Study up! Make a point of learning how your profession works in Germany, what the requirements are, etc. At some point down the road, there may be a chance to get transferred rather than having to pay for the move all yourself.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the response, Bev!

I will have to find out if we do have any sort of foreign ties! I work for the national veterinary association, so perhaps that corporation is involved with others like itself overseas. Thank you for that suggestion, and also for the news articles suggestion! I will definitely keep myself abreast of all the going ons. 

We have talked at length about going to visit Germany, and planned on speaking with those we could about the moving process, though I am not sure who that would be...

But we most assuredly plan on visiting as many times as possible! 

Again, thank you for the advice. I will take it to heart.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

Izzyloo said:


> I will be, as I said before, researching this at great length! Thank you so much for the information!


Here's a link to some information about the student loan scheme:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/2qiiqm/americans_living_overseas_ibricr_no_student_loan/


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

A couple of quick points:



> I have a good friend in Germany currently, but I'm not sure what that does for me.


Absolutely nothing, I'm afraid, beyond a place to stay when you visit.

Research should start at your local Germany embassy. This will link to other sources of information on working in Germany.

As Americans wanting to live in Germany, you have a few different ways of gaining legal residency:

- marry a German or an EEA national living legally in Germany (probably not an option for you)
- obtain another EEA citizenship through parents or grandparents (rules vary by country)
- find a "professional" job in Germany where the employer can sponsor you for a work permit
- other visa types that don't really apply to your situation

Legal residence is one thing, finding employment is another. Currently the best opportunities are probably in the IT and engineering worlds. Speaking German is of course important, though there are software development jobs where you can work exclusively in English.

I don't know anything about the veterinary business, but I imagine pharmacy technicians work for Apotheken, which is a tightly regulated guild (or cartel, depending on your feelings about the price of aspirin). Health care, like many other fields, would be regulated by professional associations with their own qualification requirements, which might require significant retraining, in addition to good German skills, particularly for public-facing positions.

In other words, you've got quite a few challenges ahead of you.

A better approach than making long-term plans for a move to a country you haven't actually much experience of living in as an adult might be to plan some shorter stays that are still more than tourist visits. Look into year-abroad opportunities, if you're still a student, or doing a graduate degree (free tuition and more and more programs being taught in English), or any type of professional exchange program. After six months to a year you'd have a much better idea of what's possible, and whether you can even stand the place.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Izzyloo said:


> Thank you for your reply!
> 
> We do not have any ties or EEA nationalities, unfortunately. I have a good friend in Germany currently, but I'm not sure what that does for me.
> 
> ...


I don't know what exactly veterinary technicians and pharmacy technicians are/do. If these professions are regulated, you might face a stringent language test and possibly retraining before you can work in those jobs in Germany.

Check here:

https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/index.php

Anabin - Informationssystem zur Anerkennung ausländischer Bildungsabschlüsse: Kontakt

There is also an English-speaking hotline you can call to enquire about recognition of your qualification:

BAMF - Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge - Aktuelle Meldungen - Hotline zur beruflichen Anerkennung

Another possibility would be to go for a Masters Degree in Germany. There are plenty of tuition-free Masters programmes and many are even taught in both English and German (free intensive language classes included to bring all students up to speed before the German lectures start) or even entirely in English.

Under current legislation, a German degree would not only make you more employable (possibly eliminating any testing/retraining you might otherwise have to do) but also make you eligible for a post study work permit which can then lead to indefinite permission to stay.

If that's of interest to you, check here:

https://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/

The German Embassies/Consulates in the USA and possibly - to a lesser extent - the Goethe Institutes would be the people to talk to regarding moving to Germany.


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## miaux (Jul 16, 2014)

I will support the Master route, most easy way to get long term in Germany, and assimilate the language and culture... 

What you could do now ( besides from learning German of course) is try to work for a German company in the meantime ( Siemens, Bayer, or any of those big German ones) and accumulate years experience. 

If you decide to go for a Masters Degree in the future, your experience at a German company plus a German degree plus your ability to speak German, would make you very employable, at least that was my case. 

and 10 years down the line, is just too much time ahead to plan... I was in Berlin last week, and definitely there was a weird mood, so things might change for good or worse in the very short term... 

If you hold a US passport, there are several opportunities of exchange , make sure to check the daad regularly or your foreign affairs ministry, as they might post opportunities/ scholarships


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

miaux said:


> I will support the Master route, most easy way to get long term in Germany, and assimilate the language and culture...
> 
> What you could do now ( besides from learning German of course) is try to work for a German company in the meantime ( Siemens, Bayer, or any of those big German ones) and accumulate years experience.
> 
> ...



Just one more thing to add to the student visa route:

It is a bit more complicated since the OP is not only looking at moving by herself but with her fiancé/husband.

1) If she decides to move to Germany sooner rather than later, she would only be able to sponsor her fiancé (or be sponsored by him) as a dependent if they are married - there are no "unmarried partner visas" in Germany.

2) Even if they are married, it is not impossible but also not very easy to get a student dependent visa (students are not generally expected to bring family). Student dependents do not get the right to work at all!

So, to both profit from the advantages of completing a degree in Germany, they would not only have to somehow both find an appropriate post graduate programme AND be accepted into those programmes but unless they want to live in different cities, those programmes would have to be at the same university or at least nearby universities. Otherwise only one can be on student visa and the other one has to qualify for a different visa in their own right - sponsored by employer, freelance, language study (potentially expensive).

On the other hand, Masters programmes are mostly 12-18 months, that's not a very long time to bridge in some way or another.


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