# Germany Blue Card questions



## thrAwy

Hello,

Last week, I applied for the German Blue Card via the German general consulate in Brazil.
When applying, they asked for the ZAB validation documents, which I don't have (since my profession is not regulated and ZAB says in their site that validation is optional).

They said my visa might be refused due to lack of documents, but I told them to send the application anyways. The consulate doesn't issue the visa, they just send everything to Germany.

So I now have a few questions:

Can they really refuse my visa because I don't have the ZAB validation (again, ZAB says it's not necessary)? Will they let me know first so I can try to get the validation?
In the application form, I said I would be bringing my wife. They didn't request any of her documents (I had brought everything: photos, passport, diploma), just the marriage certificate. Is this correct? She doesn't have to do anything or send any documents?
What is the expected processing time? They list it as 90 days but I've seen people talking about 2 weeks
How can I know if they have received everything or are missing some document? They didn't send anything not even an email.

A few details about me:

I have a bachelor's degree (4 years) in information systems (basically IT/software engineering)
I have 10 years of experience as a developer
My university is listed as H+ in the anabin database, and my country is listed as "Direct Access"
My course/diploma is not listed. In fact there are no courses listed for my university. Most universities are like that as well.
I already have a job offer validated by ZAV.
My offered salary is above the minimum for the blue card (even though it's a MINT profession and I could get away with less).


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## *Sunshine*

1. Yes, it is possible. The immigration officials are trained in German immigration law and not in how to evaluate foreign degrees. Is there any reason you don't want to have your qualifications evaluated? 

2. Your wife will need to file her own application. Is she also Brazilian? She might be able to enter Germany without a visa and change status in Germany (Germany and Brazil have a very odd Note Verbale). I would get official confirmation in advance. 

3. Impossible to say. As a rule of thumb, the better the position the quicker the processing. Not having a ZAB evaluation could delay processing. 

4. They will eventually contact you regarding missing docs.


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## thrAwy

*Sunshine* said:


> 1. Yes, it is possible. The immigration officials are trained in German immigration law and not in how to evaluate foreign degrees. Is there any reason you don't want to have your qualifications evaluated?


I got the job offer with the help of a recruiting agency, which is now helping me get the visa. They told me not to validate the diploma because it wasn't necessary.
It's very strange that some government sites say that the valid diploma is necessary, but ZAB itself says that it's not needed. I can't paste links or screenshots due to low rep, but if you go to ZAB it says my profession is unregulated and therefore there is no need to validate it.



*Sunshine* said:


> 2. Your wife will need to file her own application. Is she also Brazilian? She might be able to enter Germany without a visa and change status in Germany (Germany and Brazil have a very odd Note Verbale). I would get official confirmation in advance.


Yes, my wife is also Brazilian. We can get into Germany with the normal tourist visa (lasts 90 days) but I'm worried that they'll make her leave the country and then come back (we would need to pay more than 1000 euros if that's the case).



*Sunshine* said:


> 3. Impossible to say. As a rule of thumb, the better the position the quicker the processing. Not having a ZAB evaluation could delay processing.


I wish they would tell me. I can get the validation quickly since I have a job offer, but then I'd have to pay 200 euros.


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## *Sunshine*

thrAwy said:


> I wish they would tell me. I can get the validation quickly since I have a job offer, but then I'd have to pay 200 euros.


The agency is correct that you don't necessarily need to submit the ZAB evaluation, however, it can make the process go much quicker. If the Visa Officer does not know whether your degree is recognised and sends it somewhere else for evaluation or waits till the one person in the office who has done the extra training course, your application can easily be delayed by a few weeks. 

The Brits have a saying "penny wise, pound foolish". It only costs 200 € + potentially translation and certification costs to have a foreign degree evaluated. Compared to the 60,000€/year salary for an IT Professional, it is foolish not to submit a ZAB evaluation if you are in a hurry.


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## esumitkumar

thrAwy said:


> I got the job offer with the help of a recruiting agency, which is now helping me get the visa. They told me not to validate the diploma because it wasn't necessary.
> It's very strange that some government sites say that the valid diploma is necessary, but ZAB itself says that it's not needed. I can't paste links or screenshots due to low rep, but if you go to ZAB it says my profession is unregulated and therefore there is no need to validate it.
> 
> 
> Yes, my wife is also Brazilian. We can get into Germany with the normal tourist visa (lasts 90 days) but I'm worried that they'll make her leave the country and then come back (we would need to pay more than 1000 euros if that's the case).
> 
> 
> I wish they would tell me. I can get the validation quickly since I have a job offer, but then I'd have to pay 200 euros.


Can u tell me name of recruiting agency as well as contact id..I am in software testing from last 12 years and wish to migrate to Germany..Thanks very much


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## lucasfranco

Hey!
I'm in the exact situation. Can you tell me how the process ends?

Best,
Lucas.


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