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HOW TO APPLY JOB SEEKER VISA OF GERMANY

German job seeker visa is always an excellent option to start your career in Germany. This is perhaps the only type of visa that allows you to come to Germany, find here work, and start working full-time.

Germany is a country of immigrants and its history show that there work many international workers from around the world. There are more than 3 million foreign workers employed in Germany and this trend tends to increase more and more in near future.

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Courtesy kfw.de research (for SMEs)

WHAT IS MEANT BY A JOB SEEKER VISA?

Jobseeker exactly means that being a graduate you can apply for a 6 months visa in Germany. During this duration in Germany, you will have to find a job, once you have found a job, your job seeker visa will be changed into a work permit/residence permit.

DO I NEED A JOB OFFER TO APPLY?

No, you don’t need a job offer or job contract from a German employer to apply for this visa category. In fact, you need no general or particular document from Germany to apply.

IS THIS VISA EXTENDABLE?

There are two conditions of this visa as the duration is concerned. First is, after reaching Germany, and having found a job, you have a facility to change this visa category into a work permit without leaving Germany. The second condition is that if you have not found a job and your visa duration is going to expire, in 90% of cases you will have to leave Germany immediately. Some people request for an extension of this job seeker visa, in 99% of cases this application is not approved. So it is indeed really important to find a job within 6 months duration.

CAN I APPLY WITH MY FAMILY?

No, with family it is not possible. But when you have got a job in Germany and have had a visa converted into a work permit, you can call up/sponsor your family to come to Germany through the family reunion option.

WHERE TO APPLY FOR THIS VISA?

For this visa, you will have to apply at designated consulates and Embassies of Germany in your country of origin. There is set aside visa fees that you will have to pay in order to get the visa application processed. There are almost 227 German missions abroad, that process visa applications from around the globe. Among these, there are 153 embassies, 54 consulates-general, 7 consulates, 12 permanent missions, and 1 other mission. You find here the complete list of German embassies and consulates abroad (click here to open).

IMPORTANT STEPS TO FOLLOW

Applying for a job seeker visa in Germany, there are no strict requirements. The process is simple and easy. Here are some steps you can follow to apply:

Step 1. Gather all required documents that you need to submit with your visa application. This could be your educational, work experience, language proficiency, and personal identity documents.

Step 2. Arrange the funds that you need to have for your jobs seeker visa. You will have to show that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay of 6 months. You can show this in the following ways;

  • Proof of blocked account (Sperrkonto) in Germany in the name of the applicant showing a minimum balance of 4320 Euro(Euro 720 per month of stay in Germany, i.e 6 x Euro 720, and the remark that the account holder can dispose of a monthly amount of Euro 720 only). Don’t forget to check the latest fund requirements from the local German missions in your country.
  • You may also show funding and financial resources from your friends or family members settled in Germany. To do so, your friend or family member will have to present “Verpflichtungserklärung” = formal obligation letter issued by the local immigration authority in Germany. Additionally, they must also provide bank account statements of the last 12 months, tax assessment forms, income proofs such as salary slips, etc.

Step 3. Get the documents attestations and recognition. You must have your documents translated either into German or English language for the visa application. In most cases, you must have your educational documents and optionally professional work documents attested and recognized by a German authority. For non-German degrees, get the information from this website https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html (the web page is in the German language so please use google chrome browser for an automatic page translation). This website will help you to get to know if the university where you have studied in your country of origin is recognized in Germany or not (click here to check if your university is registered in Germany for recognition). For equivalency/recognition certificates, you will have to follow the process here click to open. This service is provided against charges ranging from €200 to €300 (please check yourself on the provided link for the latest service fees).

Step 4. Before applying for a visa, do try to get some information on how is the job market in Germany? This will help you to get to know how the labor market system works in Germany.  Here is some useful information for you (Click here to open)

Step 5. Do learn enough German to enhance your chances of getting a job in Germany. As without it, you will not be able to succeed there.

Step 6. Arrange accommodation in Germany. You will have to show proof at the time of applying for the visa. It could be a private flat, shared accommodation, or accommodation provided by a friend. Following is the info on how to find accommodation in Germany:

In case you get accommodation from your friend or family member in Germany, you will have to provide “Verpflichtungserklärung” = formal obligation letter from the local immigration authority.

IS IELTS OR TOEFL A MUST?

Yes, as mentioned in German embassy guidelines, you will have to do IELTS or TOEFL in order to apply for a job in Germany. So you will have to show that you have a good command of English ideally with a score of a minimum of 6.0 bands in IELTS.

IS THE GERMAN LANGUAGE (DEUTSCHE SPRACHE)  MANDATORY?

It is a requirement for a visa, surely without it our chances for success will be really low to find a job and survive in Germany as German language is spoken in the whole country. My personal advice is instead of doing IELTS or TOEFL, go for learning the German language and attend a test to get a certificate at the level of B1 to B2. This will indeed not only increase your visa chance but also the job-finding chances. Exactly for the German language according to the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE): Language certificates/ tests such as“Zertifikat Deutsch” at least A1 level certificate or better [by Goethe-Institut (GI).

Note: It lies within the discretion of the visa sections to ask for further evidence of language skills depending on the individual case.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

There are certain documents, that you must provide as essential documents for the visa application. There are;

  • Minimum a bachelor’s degree (according to the German education system, for example, a minimum of 15 to 16 years education from Pakistan or India).
  • Language proficiency proof. IELTS or TOEFL in case if you are applying on the basis of an English language job. Additionally or optionally German language certificate with a level of B1 to B2 minimum. I personally do think if you get a German language certificate, you do not need to present IELTS or TOEFL certificate.
  • Funds to show that you can survive in Germany on your own for 6 months (details have been mentioned above).
  • Accommodation in German is also a must. So you will have to show the embassy that you have reserved a place in Germany where you can stay and live for 6 months (don’t pay for such services before getting the visa).

HOW TO APPLY

  • You must get the appointment first from the embassy to submit the visa application. Do get an appointment online on the website of the local German embassy approximately a month before the intended applying date.
  • Submit the visa application along with the necessary documents.
  • Attend the interview.
  • Pay the visa fees.
  • After this all, your application will be forwarded to a visa officer or home office in Germany for further processing. Sometimes it takes from one month to 2 months before the decision comes.

COMPLETE LIST OF DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED

On the day of application and documents submission, take with you the original set of documents with additional 2 sets of photocopies with DIN A4 size. Following are the main documents and forms you must carry with you:

  • 2 visa application forms duly filled and signed by you only. Click here to download the job seeker visa form.
  • Security questionnaire (not for all countries). Click here to download
  • 4 Latest photographs of no more than 3 months old. Check here the exact photo requirements
  • A valid passport. valid for three months after the expiry of the applied visa
  • List of children to be mentioned in this form. Click here to download the form
  • Two copies of the original Curriculum including your all educational and work experience details
  • Previous job experience document. It could be a work experience certificate, employment details, and other skills details, etc.
  • Educational documents. A bachelor’s degree (currently German embassy may accept 14 years of education with BA. B.Com or B.Sc etc for Pakistani students. You may write however an email to the local embassy for more information)
  • Proof of personal funds. You can either show it through a personal bank statement (it will be proof of blocked account as mention in this article before) or “Verpflichtungserklärung” from your friend or family member in Germany that they will support you for living and accommodation to survive in Germany.
  • Valid health insurance of 6 months. For each country, there are set aside insurance companies that are authorized for EU health insurance. Before buying it, do check on the embassy website if the company is authorized or not. Additionally, you may also opt to get health insurance from Germany after reaching there.
  • Language proficiency proof German language certificate of level A1 and IELTS or TOEFL test scorecard
  • Proof of accommodation
  • Personal documents for example birth certificate, marriage certificate, or family registration certificate. For some countries, the applicant will have to pay a certain amount for the verification of your personal documents (for example PKR 30,000 for applicants from Pakistan). It is a good idea to check it first from the embassy.
  • You must also present the visa office with your personal booking code of appointment.