# Moving from US to Cologne for job... have BF and moving questions!



## futuregermangamer (Apr 17, 2017)

Hi all, so happy to find this forum! I am a bit lost and just received news that I would be able to move to Cologne for a job in a gaming company. I am an American.

I have a few questions, as my expected date to move is sometime in mid-May to late May. The company hasn't been very communicative on what to expect and how to prepare. I will probably get more details later this week, but this is what I am looking to know:

How should I ship my belongings from Arizona (USA) to Cologne? What would be the most cost-effective method? I have looked at shipping via plane (when I move) and containers shipped across the sea. But I haven't gotten any quotes on actual cost.

I have a boyfriend of just six months. But we are willing to get married so that he may live with me in Germany. But I've read about the Verpflichtungserklärung. He is American, like me. So would he be able to come to Germany and fill out this form with me and remain unmarried?

And if we get married, would my employer or the offices in Germany deny my visa based on the fact I got married a few weeks before my trip? I plan to go to the Justice of the Peace (courthouse) as soon as the paperwork comes in for my job, so that I can say we were married prior to the application.

What questions should I ask my employer about, when it comes to reimbursement and relocation assistance (money/time-wise)? I have never done this before.

I will be making 2.250 Euro a month, would anyone know what that shakes out to after taxes? I am not sure how much I should be spending on housing and the like, when I don't know how much I will owe in taxes and such. Is 2.250 a good salary for Cologne?

Thanks for any and all assistance you guys could provide!


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

futuregermangamer said:


> Is 2.250 a good salary for Cologne?


NO!

Before you make any plans to move, you should find out whether you'll be able to obtain a work permit for such a poorly paid position.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Before even talking about the relocation assistance, has your employer-to-be said that they will handle getting a visa for you? It may or may not be possible for your BF to get a visa to join you unless you're married and/or he is moving with you, not at a later date.

You should settle these things with your potential employer before you get too involved in your other planning.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

That is a terrible salary. You will both starve.

Is the employer going to sponsor you for a work permit? Since you're earning maybe half of what's needed for a Blue Card, you might have difficulty obtaining any sort of work permit. It's possible the employer made the offer without any idea of what's is and isn't possible - my clue is your statement that they "haven't been very communicative" - and once they figure it out they will withdraw the offer.

Getting married doesn't necessarily mean your boyfriend would be allowed to work; if not he'd only have a residence permit based on your supporting him, which your salary probably isn't sufficient to do. (What would he do if he could work? Do either of you speak German?) I'm not sure the date of marriage would have any bearing on your chances of getting a work permit.

Moving furniture and household goods is very expensive. I would recommend just taking the essentials on the plane, with maybe an extra suitcase or two, and renting furnished for the first few years. Most of your appliances and larger electronics won't work on 220v so there's no point bringing them.


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## futuregermangamer (Apr 17, 2017)

Bevdeforges said:


> Before even talking about the relocation assistance, has your employer-to-be said that they will handle getting a visa for you? It may or may not be possible for your BF to get a visa to join you unless you're married and/or he is moving with you, not at a later date.
> 
> You should settle these things with your potential employer before you get too involved in your other planning.
> Cheers,
> Bev


According to the person I've been interviewing with, they said the visa was not a problem.


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## futuregermangamer (Apr 17, 2017)

*Sunshine* said:


> NO!
> 
> Before you make any plans to move, you should find out whether you'll be able to obtain a work permit for such a poorly paid position.


What would be an appropriate salary for a job in Cologne?


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## futuregermangamer (Apr 17, 2017)

Nononymous said:


> That is a terrible salary. You will both starve.
> 
> Is the employer going to sponsor you for a work permit? Since you're earning maybe half of what's needed for a Blue Card, you might have difficulty obtaining any sort of work permit. It's possible the employer made the offer without any idea of what's is and isn't possible - my clue is your statement that they "haven't been very communicative" - and once they figure it out they will withdraw the offer.
> 
> ...


Hmm. I get the feeling everyone is concerned about the work permit. The person I interviewed with seemed like moving wouldn't be a big issue and that salary was more than enough. I asked about negotiating and they said that it was comfortable enough for us to live on.

And good point about the electronics, didn't even think about it. I will have to look into some kind of service for shipping PCs though, as my boyfriend and I each have $1,000 PCs meant for gaming that we can't really sell and buy new ones in Germany. He games for a living so it would probably be cheaper to ship for $500 than buy a new PC.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

futuregermangamer said:


> According to the person I've been interviewing with, they said the visa was not a problem.


You need to find out more than that. What kind of visa will they be getting for you? Because some visas will not include a "dependent" visa for your BF (or sometimes even for your spouse). If your BF games for a living, he'll have to register as a "business" to make sure that he is paying his social insurances and all. Some dependent visas will not permit a "trailing spouse" to work.
Cheers,
Bev


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## futuregermangamer (Apr 17, 2017)

Bevdeforges said:


> You need to find out more than that. What kind of visa will they be getting for you? Because some visas will not include a "dependent" visa for your BF (or sometimes even for your spouse). If your BF games for a living, he'll have to register as a "business" to make sure that he is paying his social insurances and all. Some dependent visas will not permit a "trailing spouse" to work.
> Cheers,
> Bev


What about the Verpflichtungserklärung?


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## expatgal (Mar 4, 2013)

futuregermangamer said:


> Hi all, so happy to find this forum! I am a bit lost and just received news that I would be able to move to Cologne for a job in a gaming company. I am an American.
> 
> I have a few questions, as my expected date to move is sometime in mid-May to late May. The company hasn't been very communicative on what to expect and how to prepare. I will probably get more details later this week, but this is what I am looking to know:
> 
> ...


Listen and take heed to what members have mentioned, about visa and salary.
My situation was different than yours. I lived in Germany for two years, and returned to the states last year.
I had to jump hoops to get in, and what saved me was a dear friend I had known for years, she offered me a place (separate from her home) to live in. I paid rent to her.
I had savings and social security, BTW...my social security was and is more than the salary you have been supposedly offered. I never touched my saving, was tempted to, but didn't. It was still tight. 
Your employer owes you more than a vague offer. Will the company pay for your transfer, shipping etc, health coverage? Will they contribute to your housing expenses, I presume you would like to eat?
You need more information and you should start researching what will be required.
I wish you well and hope this come to a good life in Germany.
Whatever you do, don't marry just to have a companion....there's plenty of men in Germany.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

futuregermangamer said:


> What about the Verpflichtungserklärung?


The Verpflichtserklärung only serves as an "invitation" to someone who needs to qualify for a visa in order to stay. It's basically a statement that you will assume financial responsibility for the person, but it doesn't give him any rights on its own.
Cheers,
Bev


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

futuregermangamer said:


> What about the Verpflichtungserklärung?


Forget it. You won't be earning enough to sign one (or rather your income would not be considered sufficient to support someone else).

A single employee earning 2250€/gross would receive about 1500€/month net. 

Although the waiting lists are long and it is unlikely that you'd be able to find one, your income would qualify you for social housing.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

futuregermangamer said:


> I get the feeling everyone is concerned about the work permit. The person I interviewed with seemed like moving wouldn't be a big issue and that salary was more than enough. I asked about negotiating and they said that it was comfortable enough for us to live on.


Ask the company how many work permits that they have managed to sponsor for non-EU citizens. 

What qualifications do you have?


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

futuregermangamer said:


> I have a few questions, as my expected date to move is sometime in mid-May to late May.


This doesn't sound like a realistic timeline.

Even though, as an American, you can enter Germany as a tourist with a visa granted on arrival, this would not give you the right to start working. Will the company pay your cost of living while a work permit is sorted out?

Is this a big company that has sponsored non-EEA employees before?

Your salary would not be sufficient for a BlueCard which would give your spouse unrestricted access to the job market. 

If you get a regular work permit, your spouse will be prohibited from working in Germany for at least a year, possibly up to three years. This includes gaming professionally.

Also research carefully whether your gaming PCs will be okay to run on the German electricity system. I have heard bad things about converters.

Shipping PCs for $500 and then frying them will be even more expensive than buying new.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

The PCs themselves should be fine, the power supply would have a switch on the back for 220, then you swap in a power cord with the European plug. Almost 20 years ago I shipped over a desktop, no problem at all, and I don't expect that's changed. Monitors and most other small to medium electronics are now automatically dual-voltage, but not your big motor- or heater-based appliances like blenders and toasters. (According to my spouse, dual-voltage hair dryers are useless and prone to exploding.) The thing to do, obviously, is go look at the sticker on the back before you decide whether to ship it!

I will withhold judgement on the likelihood of obtaining a work permit, though I have my doubts. I would ask some hard questions of the employer - what's their track record? I've encountered a few who've been more than happy to make job offers to non-EU citizens without having any idea what's involved in terms of the paperwork. With smaller employers it's generally it's left up to the employee to negotiate the bureaucracy. Maybe this company does it all the time with highly skilled technical people, but at the kebab-shop salary the OP was offered, I doubt we're talking about a developer job - game tester or English-speaking comment moderator maybe? 

As for the boyfriend, he won't be entitled to any sort of residence permit without being married. If the salary were high enough to support him - which this one I suspect is not - then he might be allowed to stay but not work, either as an employee or freelance. In this case the only thing preventing him from earning a living online (gaming or any other sort of remote employment) is honesty. The work itself is undetectable. I wouldn't do it forever, but a few years is fine. Personally I have no issue with this, though it's technically illegal. A trailing spouse earning money offshore and spending it locally is doing more for the German economy than a trailing spouse sitting at home staring at the wall earning nothing; if the German authorities can't figure out how to allow this and tax the income, their loss. 

And don't forget you'd need health insurance for both, which would be partially paid by the employer. But I think with such a tiny salary it's likely not possible to obtain residence permits for a couple.


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