# Advice on my situation and Visa



## reverze (Jul 26, 2013)

Hi All,

So just to give a little bit of background, I'm currently working here in the US for a large bank with about two years of experience in the IT realm. I'm looking to relocate to Berlin, Germany to realize my entrepreneurial dreams and break free from the corporate shackles and bureaucracy.

I currently have a round-trip flight booked to Germany leaving in about 4 weeks, which is also an issue as I may be making that a one-way expedition depending on what plays out.

I currently am waiting to hear back from a potential employer, hopefully by the middle of next week, about a position in Berlin. I believe I meet all of the qualifications for a EU Blue Card, but have yet to bring that up. Upon receiving an offer, I plan on mentioning that this would be the preferred Visa of my choice.

So on to question number 1.)

If I did receive the offer and a job contract, in my mind I would immediately go that weekend to the closest embassy to start the visa application process. Is there anything special I would need to do outside of having a job contract and simply going to the embassy? Also, to my understanding the approval/denial process can take anywhere between 1 day and 1 month - is this correct?

If I do not receive the job offer, I'd like to potentially pursue other means of a receiving a visa. I've read about the 6 month visa and also the entrepreneurial/artist visa. I currently also do freelance work and online marketing/advertising on the side, so I should be able to qualify for the latter.

Question 2.) 

Would either of these be something that I should start the application process for prior to arriving in Germany? I wasn't quite sure, as I do believe I need to have proof of residence for the artist/freelance/entrepreneurial visa, which I would not have obviously if I'm applying prior to arrival in Germany.

Would it be an option to start the visa process for these while I'm in Berlin on the ground, so perhaps start the process leave for a few weeks if I had to returning to the US and then return to Germany upon approval of the visa?

I've been job searching in Germany for about 6 months now, and I've had multiple interviews but it has been quite difficult to seal the deal when it comes to the visa part of things. If I don't receive this job offer, I feel as if I have no other option but to come to Berlin on my own and be on the ground to complete the process and have a company hire me.

I'm quite adamant about making this happen and making this a one-way trip to Germany instead of having to come back and then fly back over a few weeks after returning. Any advice is much appreciated and thank you for your time.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

You're moving to Germany to "realize my entrepreneurial dreams and break free from ... bureaucracy"? Don't get me wrong, I love the place - but not for those reasons.

More to the point, if you are a US citizen you don't need to do anything before leaving the US. You could apply for a visa if you had a definite job offer, though this requires at least one in-person visit to a German consulate. The advantage there is that you could theoretically start working right away if the visa and work permit were approved. 

Otherwise you show up in Berlin and get yourself down to the Ausländerbehörde as soon as possible and see how it goes. The freelancer visa thing sounds possible. You would, as far as I know, not be required to fly back to the US to apply for a visa. Americans, Canadians and other "civilized" non-EU types (it's all very colonial) can do the paperwork after arrival, so long as it's all sorted within 90 days.

I'm heading over next week for five months. I'll have a residence permit no matter what, because it's my wife's research sabbatical, but I'm hoping to get a freelancer visa so I can work directly for a firm there, rather than make it an "extended business trip" and do all the billing via my employer here.


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## reverze (Jul 26, 2013)

Regarding the bureaucracy piece, that is referring to the corporate environment itself.. I know there's red tape involved in the visa and government piece going to Germany..  That's inevitable..

So, say I go... no job offer and apply in Berlin for the freelancer visa and I'm rejected, and a.) then I must keep searching for another job to secure a visa in the meantime or b.) if neither works out, I'm out of luck after 90 days, correct?


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

reverze said:


> Regarding the bureaucracy piece, that is referring to the corporate environment itself.. I know there's red tape involved in the visa and government piece going to Germany..  That's inevitable..
> 
> So, say I go... no job offer and apply in Berlin for the freelancer visa and I'm rejected, and a.) then I must keep searching for another job to secure a visa in the meantime or b.) if neither works out, I'm out of luck after 90 days, correct?


The German corporate environment is not entirely free of red tape either. I did a bit of consulting for VW and it was weird, weird, weird. Kind of place where it's "sie" in the building and "du" in the parking lot.

To the main point:

If you do have a firm job offer, you can either apply for a visa in the US, through a consulate, OR wait and apply for a work permit at the Ausländerbehörde, who may send you to or refer to the Arbeitsamt. Risk of doing it in Germany is that you might be denied, but it sounds like you already have a plane ticket. Benefit of doing it in the US is that you could start right away if it's approved before you leave.

If you don't have a firm offer, show up in Berlin, go to the Ausländerbehörde and apply for the freelancer permit with your Aufenhaltserlaubnis (letters of support or interest from potential employers would be useful here) and see how it goes. The program was intended for "creative" fields but could potentially be stretched to certain things in the IT world. You can find the details and requirements online; you probably need to prove that you have means to support yourself, and health insurance, while looking for work.

If you don't get the freelancer permit, your other option is to find a job and apply for a work permit. If you get it, you'll be granted a residence permit and can stay longer. 

If you don't have a freelancer permit or a job with approved work permit, then yes, you must leave after 90 days.

I really don't have time to be a freelance translator or immigration consultant, but I will be in Berlin next week and am trying to get ze papers sorted relatively quickly for myself. So if you have some questions, PM me (might need to make a few more posts).

Good luck.


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## cvas (Jul 6, 2013)

Interesting read. I'm looking for some advice myself. I have about 4 years of software work exp (2 yrs in a german company). How do I go about getting an assessment done? Do they also have a points systems like auz and nz?


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

I don't believe there's an assessment or points system. You attempt to find a job and obtain a work visa, and if you're successful you can live there with a residence permit, then after a few years you keep extending things until it eventually becomes somewhat permanent. It's not at all like Canada or other countries where you are thought of as an immigrant and there's an expectation that you'd follow a path to citizenship.

Lots of information online, in English, on German government sites.


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## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

Yes, that's right no points system, but your chances of a blue card are a lot better if you learn some German and do your research and know exactly where you are heading, what companies you will be targeting and explain in detail about how you intend it to get a job. I get the impression that a lot of those applying so far, have been rejected, so you really need to spend a lot of time on your application. Can't you try the German company you worked for?


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## reverze (Jul 26, 2013)

Sorry for the late reply, but I do appreciate the advice above, thank you.

I did receive some more news, and have received a job offer from a company in Berlin. I'm in the process of reviewing the contract, which I am still a bit worried about as the original one, which I had them change, made it seem as if they were fudging the numbers a bit to lower the gross number for tax purposes.

I need to be paid at least 36,000 euro or so to receive the EU Blue Card, and I made that clear in my reply...

I do have two follow up questions:

I'm about a week out from my flight to Frankfurt where I will be travelling for a few months, and I'm still in the negotiation process with this whole thing. I do believe that I read that if I would like to apply for a visa, I must go to the embassy here in the US and for the state of Pennsylvania, I would have to go to NYC to do this - DC is not an option. Would this be correct?

Building upon this question, would it be possible for me to simply apply for my visa while I am in Berlin, say spontaneous? I will be there for nearly two weeks, so if I have to setup an appointment, I'm a bit worried I may not get in within the time I'm in Berlin and they do have a tight starting date set to start the job.

My second question is simply, if I do receive a visa and start working for say 3 months and find another job, the visa simply transfer correct?


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## vronchen (Jan 26, 2012)

reverze said:


> I need to be paid at least 36,000 euro or so to receive the EU Blue Card, and I made that clear in my reply...


36,000 is a very low salary. that's what my friends in Berlin got right after graduation. at least those who didn't get a good job. i would not settle for less than 40,000, unless you only have a bachelor. I don't really know what the salary expectations with a bachelor degree are. but I still feel that would be too low if you have two years of experience.



reverze said:


> Building upon this question, would it be possible for me to simply apply for my visa while I am in Berlin, say spontaneous? I will be there for nearly two weeks, so if I have to setup an appointment, I'm a bit worried I may not get in within the time I'm in Berlin and they do have a tight starting date set to start the job.


if you are in germany it would make no sense to apply for a visa, since you are already int he country. you can apply for a residence permit. i am not sure about the blue card.



reverze said:


> My second question is simply, if I do receive a visa and start working for say 3 months and find another job, the visa simply transfer correct?


i believe, if you have a blue card for less than two years you need prior approval in order to change jobs. Basically, they need to check if your new job satisfies the conditions for the blue card.


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