Path to permanent residency in Germany

Published date: 05 Sep 2017 Updated on: 25 Sep 2018

Want to explore the golden opportunities in Germany? Or want to delve deeper into their fields of research? Well then, you just made the right click.

We are here to provide you a step-by- step guide on earning a permanent residency in Germany by your own merit.

As per its protocols of foreign immigration, Germany offers permanent residence and work permit for highly skilled employees. And in this article, we shall explain the intricacies involved in the process.

In the broad spectrum; there are basically two ways of settling in Germany. And the most reliable one in the long run is to get a university education from one of the prestigious

German universities – which to your much joy public funded universities provide free of cost!

Now, the step-by-step-guide is as follows:

Step 1: Get an admit

Use various sources to collect information about the universities that you want to apply for. Like their eligibility criteria, application procedure etc. Send in your application before the deadline and make sure that you have a valid passport.

Step 2: Get a student visa

Apply for a student visa as soon as you have the admission letter. The German Embassy and the Consulates require proof of funding for the first year of studies. Of course, GyanDhan can help you secure that. To find out where you should apply for a visa, visit the website of the German Embassy.

Step 3: Get a residence permit

Get your residence permit within the first three months of your stay in Germany from

the nearest Foreigners’ Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde).

Step 4: Get an internship – increase your chances of full-time employment

A student visa allows you only to work 90 full days a year or 180 half days. This restriction does not apply if you have a job with the university as a professor's assistant or researcher. If you have a mandatory internship, which is usually for 12 weeks, as a part of your curriculum, the visa laws allow you to do it. Also if you have a semester break, you can work more than 90 full days. This is a complex topic and it is advisable to discuss this with the relevant HR department of your target company.

Step 5: Extending your student visa.

A residence permit for the purpose of studying is issued for a period of two years and must always be extended before the two years run out. The extension depends on how you conduct your studies, e.g. whether you take examinations and obtain certificates. In this way, the chances of completing your studies within an appropriate time frame are assessed.

Step 6: Getting your work visa.

You can obtain a job seeker visa or a Long-Term Residence Permit, which allows you to stay in the country for up to 18 months and look for a job. If at the end of this period, you have found an employment – either full-time or part-time, you can apply for the German work visa. If you have found a full-time employment, applying for the EU Blue Card is another option – this option is especially advantageous, if you intend subsequently to live and work in another EU state. However, the salary threshold for the EU Blue Card is higher - a minimum salary of EUR 50,800 is required on the date of writing of this article.

In deciding whether you qualify for a German work visa, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) looks at various factors, important among which are (a) whether their work could be performed by a German, or (b) does the job pay enough. Over the past two years, the number of applications for work visa from non-EU citizens has more than tripled to ~240K, according to the BA. However, the approval rate number has increased – from ~83% in 2014 to ~89% in 2016.

Step 7: Applying for permanent residency.

As early as two years after receiving your German residence permit or your EU Blue Card, you can apply for a permanent Residence permit – that is, a Residence permit without a time limit. Again, the condition is that you still have employment in Germany.

Step 8: How to finally apply for a citizenship?

German naturalization means that after a certain period of living in Germany as a permanent resident, you can apply to become a citizen. The requirements that you need to fulfill in order to qualify for naturalization are as follows:

• You must have lived in Germany on a residence permit for at least 8 years, or you must have lived in Germany on a residence permit for 7 years and attended an integration course (this becomes 6 years on special integration circumstances).
• You must prove German language proficiency of at least B.
• You must be financially able to support yourself and your family without any help from the state.
• You must be a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record.
• You must pass a citizenship test.

Your residence records are in the government system so that will be an easy requirement to fulfill. For financial stability, you can submit bank statements and other documents, which state your financial situation..

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