(E / I) migration to Germany, part 1

In view of the fact that my previous post about studying computer science in Germany has become popular and many comments were asked in the comments about the possibilities of working abroad, particularly in Germany, I will try to highlight this question in a series of posts. In the context of these posts, I do not consider emigration as a relocation with obtaining a permit not permanent residence (permanent residence), although this may be the ultimate goal, but the possibility of relocation with obtaining at least temporary (limited to certain periods, and, possibly, an employer) residence permit ( Residence permit).

So, let us first consider what are the possibilities of obtaining a residence permit in Germany.

Immigration opportunities in Germany:
I. By birth	Ii. For social and professional reasons
German immigration (late immigrants). Jewish immigration. The refugees	For the purpose of study. Marriage and family reunion. Professional immigration. Business immigration.

Although group I does not have a direct relationship to professional immigration, in which readers of habrakhabr are interested, I will nevertheless briefly consider them in order to give a general picture.

For immigration on German roots, you must be born in a family of Russian Germans and, if possible, preserve German traditions and language. When conducting a language exam at a German consulate in Russia, particular attention is paid to this preservation of traditions: do children know German rhymes, countings, sayings. They also often pay attention to the emphasis - it requires not a classic German, but most often the dialect spoken by these Germans before emigration to Russia.

Type of immigration:	German immigration.
Requirements for the applicant:	At the time of the applicant's birth, at least one of his parents had German citizenship, even if this was not documented at the time. It refers mainly to ethnic Germans living in Russia (Volga Germans, Kazakhstan) and their descendants.
Place and term of consideration of the application:	The application is considered by a special body, consideration may take several years (3-5).
Status in Germany:	After establishing the status of a late migrant (Spätaussiedler), the applicant obtains citizenship for a fairly short period of time. Renunciation of other (Russian) citizenship is not required.

Jewish immigration began around 1991 and refers to people of Jewish nationality who have at least one of their parents - a Jew. To confirm this fact is required to provide a birth certificate or a Soviet passport. At the moment, this immigration is limited and there are additional requirements so that immigrants do not sit on the state. benefits, and could fully integrate into German society (that is, they found work and provided for themselves).

Type of immigration:	Jewish immigration.
Requirements for the applicant:	At the time of the applicant's birth, at least one of his parents was a Jew, which was documented either in the applicant's birth certificate or in his parents' passport.
Place and term of consideration of the application:	The application is considered by a special body, consideration may take several years (3-5).
Status in Germany:	After establishing the status of a Jewish immigrant, the applicant is allowed to stay for a period of 3 years (in some lands - permanent residence). Since August 2007, the refusal of another (Russian) citizenship is required when applying for German citizenship.

Refugee status is the most “inconvenient” status in Germany, because you usually have to live in a special closed refugee camp and if you refuse to issue such status you are deported home without the possibility of obtaining a Schengen visa or EU countries for 10-15 years.
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Now we will consider (at first also schematically, in the following posts in more detail) the reasons from the second group.

The easiest way to obtain German citizenship or permanent residence is traditionally marriage. In this case, reunification is often possible even if the partner does not have enough funds to live and the spouse is forced to receive benefits from the state (provided that one of the spouses has German citizenship, of course).

Type of immigration:	Marriage and / or family reunion.
Requirements for the applicant:	The applicant must be married (registered, for example, in Russia or on the territory of a “third” state, for example Denmark) or get ready to do it (then a “visa of the bride” is first issued) with a German citizen. From August 2007, in order to obtain an entry visa, it is necessary to prove proficiency in the German language in the volume A1 (the exam can be passed at the embassy or at the Goethe Institute in different countries).
Place and term of consideration of the application:	The application is considered by the embassy, ​​which makes a request to the Civil Registry Office and to the Office of the Office of Foreign Affairs (the Institution dealing with the status of foreigners in Germany), which usually takes 2-3 months if all documents are available.
Status in Germany:	The applicant receives an entry visa category D, which is valid for 90 days for a single entry. During this time, you need to enter the country and get a residence permit in the ABH. Typically, a residence permit is given for 1 year and is extended either by 1 or 2 years. After 2 years of marriage and 3 years of residence in Germany (that is, after 3 years of marriage, if reunification took place only after marriage, and after 2 years if the applicant already lived in Germany for at least a year by the time of reunification), the applicant can apply for German citizenship, the condition for which is financial independence and the renunciation of previous citizenship. After 3 years of marriage, the applicant can apply for permanent residence (unlimited permission not to stay).

The easiest and fastest way to get the opportunity to live in Germany for a while is to go there to study. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to start school from the very beginning - in Germany, you can enroll in graduate school (PhD), or make masters (for example, an MBA, although it is possible that M.Sc.). Although the requirements for opening a visa and issuing a residence permit seem to be quite harsh, they are quite feasible and in most cases the student can finance his studies by working 2-3 days a week during his free time. More we will look at this path in the following posts.

Type of immigration:	For the purpose of study.
Requirements for the applicant:	To submit an application to a German university, you must have at least 2 courses (3, if in absentia) of a completed Russian university, in this case you can apply for a similar specialty. To apply for the master you need to have a complete bachelor (and even a diploma is better) and 2-3 reference letters. For graduate school, you must have a diploma (confirm at least 5 years of education!), As a rule, the diploma itself is not so important, if there are 5 years of education (that is, a mathematician can do graduate school in physics and computer science without any problems). To obtain an entry visa and a residence permit for 1 year, it is necessary to demonstrate the availability of 7,200 Euros (this is the subsistence minimum for a student for 1 year). In a number of lands, it is required to open a special “blocked account” on which this money is located, with a limit on the maximum amount that can be withdrawn in a month (so that there are no frauds with “borrowed — showed — transferred money back”.
Place and term of consideration of the application:	Communication with universities can and should be started already in advance, since an invitation from the university (Zulassung) is necessary for obtaining a study visa. To obtain it, you need to fulfill a number of requirements (for example, to pass the German language proficiency test, etc.). The application is considered by the embassy within a month (the so-called “term of silence”).
Status in Germany:	The applicant receives an entry visa category D, which is valid for 90 days for a single entry. During this time, you need to enter the country and get a residence permit in the ABH. Typically, a residence permit is given for 1 year (in the presence of 7200, it is possible for a shorter period, but not less than six months, as a rule) and is extended either by 1 or 2 years (usually first by 1 and then by 2, even if funds for account is only enough for 1). Years of study are not counted (or accounted for half) in the period of stay for obtaining permanent residence and citizenship. You cannot get permanent residency or citizenship being in the status of a student, but you can reckon for yourself this period of stay if after a successful graduation from the university you find a job and get the status of “worker”.

The status of “worker” in Germany is the most promising in terms of obtaining permanent residence and a residence permit, and does not require the adoption of such a number of obligations, such as marriage. But getting this status is the hardest. This is due to the fact that according to the laws of Germany, to obtain this status, it is necessary to carry out a “labor market check”, that is, it is necessary to prove that there is no candidate for Germany’s work position (1) and EU (2). Therefore, this status is received mainly by scientists (even there is no need to prove anything, the law exempts from verification) and specialists of a very high level, and only large companies are hired to work, ready to go through all the trouble of this “labor market check”.

Type of immigration:	For the purpose of work.
Requirements for the applicant:	As a rule, the application must be either a scientist with a degree not lower than a PhD, or a specialist with extensive experience and excellent resumes, to prove the absence of a similar candidate in the whole EU. Naturally, the positions offered are usually highly specialized.
Place and term of consideration of the application:	The application for a visa is submitted by the applicant together with the employer, the employer is obliged (with the help of the Labor Exchange in Germany) to carry out a “labor market check” and prove to the German authorities that there is no other applicant from among the citizens of Germany or the EU who could take this job a place. Only after that it is possible to obtain a visa and a working residence permit. The application can be considered up to six months.
Status in Germany:	The applicant receives an entry visa category D, which is valid for 90 days for a single entry. During this time, you need to enter the country and get a residence permit in the ABH. Typically, a residence permit is given for the term of the contract (if there is a trial period, then first before the end of this period). After 3 years of work, the restriction on a particular employer is lifted and a transition to another employer is possible. After 5 years of working residence permit, the applicant can apply for permanent residence and citizenship, subject to financial independence, payment of pension contributions and the refusal of the previous citizenship.

The latest option for immigration to Germany is the so-called business immigration, when the reason for moving to Germany is to open your own business. This option is suitable for those who have about 300-500 thousand Euros, which he can invest in any business and is ready to develop this business in Germany. Given the high competition and the rather large tax burden, this is not always a solvable task.

Type of immigration:	Business immigration.
Requirements for the applicant:	The applicant must be able to invest 500 thousand Euros in the German economy and create 5 jobs. These figures (up to August 2007, this amount was 2 times more) are the “upper limit”, that is, if there is a detailed business plan and a concept for the development of the business, it is possible to obtain a visa for doing business and with less investment - the decision remains for the employees of the tax and financial authorities who evaluate the application. When the amount of 500 thousand is reached, according to the law, there must be a very serious reason for refusing a business visa!
Place and term of consideration of the application:	To obtain a visa, it is necessary to prove the availability of funds and submit a business plan that is considered by the financial authorities of Germany. Issuance of a visa can last up to six months.
Status in Germany:	As in all other cases, the applicant receives a national visa of category D, which he converts into a residence permit upon arrival. The term of the extension of the residence permit depends on the success of the company's affairs; the residence permit can be closed at any time if there are suspicions about the company's insolvency or tax evasion. This visa is equivalent to a working visa in relation to the rights to obtain permanent residence and citizenship.

In short, what are the possibilities of immigration (albeit temporary) in Germany. Tomorrow I will try to highlight the possibilities of entering graduate school in a German university.


UPD: The topic has been moved to the new blog “Work and study in Germany”. The blog is open to all, any entries in it are only welcome.

UPD2: Added a section on business immigration (which may be relevant for someone in the field of IT).