Job Seeker Visa – Why and when?
This post will discuss a job seeker visa and process. I have experienced problems due to visa and wasted my months in turmoil and waiting.
Job Seeker and other national visa
When can I apply for jobseeker visa?
If you have already completed B2 level of the German language from India… and want to do Hospitation in Germany.. Or give Fachsprachenprüfung… And search a job in Germany… Job seeker visa is the best option.
Why Job-Seeker?
- If you want to go to Germany via Schengen visa, you will have to return after 3 months. There are chances that your Schengen visa can be extended in Germany (chances only for those who are going with Sprachkurs or Medizinkurs; not for Besuch or Business Schengen visa), and some people have done it. But it often happens that people has to return due to failure to extend Schengen visa. (I had to return.)
I don’t recommend going via Schengen Visa; if you want to complete a course or language, take Student visa, if Job Seeker doesn’t fit for you. - Like student visa, you don’t require to pay any money to Language institutes or any Medical institutes.
- You don’t require any invitation letter from any Hospitals or Firms.
- You don’t require Berufserlaubnis.
- When you receive job; your visa gets converted to a residence permit.
“Please note that you will not be allowed to take up employment with a job-seeker visa. Your visa will, however, be changed to a residence permit for employment in Germany, once you have found adequate employment.” - Some states in Germany takes more time to authenticate your documents (Legalisation) because they send your documents to India, and German Consulate or embassy in India authenticates them from its origin via Lawyers. All this process takes 4-6 months sometimes and you have to wait for Berufserlaubnis in Germany. If you end up getting a job in one of those then job-seeker can save your time.
If you go via Job-seeker visa your you have to pay required fees according to your region but your documents get authenticated/verified/legalised before you reach Germany. (Documents needs to be authenticated as Indian apostille is not valid in Germany.)http://www.konsularinfo.diplo.de/contentblob/1619682/Daten/4929580/Merkblatt_Indien_Mumbai.pdf
http://www.konsularinfo.diplo.de/contentblob/1615026/Daten/5671448/Urkunden_Auslaendische_oeffentliche_inDeutschland.pdf
Problems with Job-seeker visa
- can only be received after minimum B2 level of Language
- Requires all your documents and recognized degree
- Don’t know if it can be extended. As long as I know, it’s only for six months. If you can’t find any job within that period, you may have to return. (Or you may contact consulate or embassy regarding the rules for extension of visa.)
- You can not work with this visa. Side jobs (Nebenjobs) or Probezeit jobs may not be allowed. (Not sure… please confirm from your consulate or embassy)
- Some consulates take more time for Jobseeker visa. So it would be better to ask for timing required for the visa. Delhi Embassy takes around 1 month to 2 months most of the time. (Timing varies according to documents and their origin too.)
Caution
- Sometimes it may be necessary for you to stay more than 6 months in Germany, although you have B2 certificate. Maybe you want to complete any language course or medical course and after that, you want to search a job. This makes job-seeker visa unsuitable for you.
- I am not responsible for any visa procedure or outcome. What is written here is according to my experiences; you may have to choose according to your requirements. Information written here can not be used as a truth or proof anywhere.
Next post will discuss the documents required for job-seeker visa.
Job Seeker visa – Preparing Application
(If you have more information, Please provide via comments or email.)
hello i have cleared b2 level german language . i got hospitation invitation for 3 months only. so i am planning to apply for job searching visa for 6 months to do hospitation and job searching process.what are the documents required for job searching visa? . kindly give me suggestions and do the need full .thank you
http://wp.me/p6KDHG-59
,
Hello Tejas, Thank you for all the information you provide. I am Mohit (MSc. bioinformatics)
do i need to study german and clear any exam ??
because on the website it is not mentioned kindly confirm.. my interview date is 15 sept16
Thanks.
Sorry, I have no idea. I have information about medical stream.
thanks for quick reply… Tejas i don’t have birth certificate and will it be a big issue ??
http://m.india.diplo.de/contentblob/4060726/Daten/6680165/jobseeker.pdf
Yes, it can be an issue… But not sure… Anyway you will need it in Germany… It’s easy to get… Contact your nearest place where it can be issued… And ask there… But I know that you require to show some identities to get it… Like passport.. Ask there
Thanks Tejas, not in my case i am afraid have to travel 600 kms for it now 🙁
To travel 600 kms is better than 6000kms!! 🙂
Hi Dr.
Í have a question do you ever heard someone that gets any luck with the jobseeker visa?
I have marketing studies and a master in management, I was reading across the internet and all the professions I saw are enginiers or else.
I´m from mexico and I want to apply for this visa.
Looks like, I forgot to answer this one! Or may be I missed it because I am still not understanding your question. May be, it is too late to say it now!! Sorry.
Hello,
My name is Franswa.i am a btech mechanical engineer.I have a work experience of 2 years and 6 months.I am having B2 certificate in German language.I am planning to apply for job seeker visa for Germany.I have a sponcer in Germany.He prepared “verpflichtungserklärung”certificate for all my stay and expence in Germany.I have a doubt.whether i need blocked account of arround 6500€?In the consulate site it is mentioned that any one prrof for accomodation is required.Either “verpflichtungserklärung”vertificate or bank account.Thanks for your patience and thanks in advance for your reply
Franswa
Sorry for so late reply. I do not remember, why I forgot to answer!
I am replying this, so that it can help other people, who have not applied the visa yet.
You have to ask your consulate. They have their rules about this Some consulate ask for both and some only either of them.
Most of the time, if you have “verpflichtungserklärung” then there is no need for a blocked account.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verpflichtungserkl%C3%A4rung_(Ausl%C3%A4nderrecht)
Hello Tejas,
Is the German language certificate is mandatory.
I dont have german language certification with me.
Can I apply for Jobseekers visa and go further.
Thanks.
Chander.
It depends upon your stream. A1 is mandatory for any visa . Above written requirements are for doctors, and others should ask German consulate or embassy once.
Hi Tejas,
I am a software engineer and I was looking for information on Job Seeker Visa and came through your website. I must say, I got almost all information from there. Thanks a lot brother.
I have 2 questions. During visa interview, do they take the interview in English or German ?
And, within how many days one must travel, once someone get the visa ?
And Thanks again .
Thank you.
English. and some basic into in German. Also depends upon the language level that you have.
Travel dates.
You can decide the date after receiving visa too.
But you may have to give dates at the time of application too. Depends upon consulates and Embassy where you apply. better to ask it there. At Delhi German Embassy, I had given dates at the time of application and then changed it at the time of stamping of visa.
With greetings
Tejas Ghetia
Hi Tejas,
I wanted to know that to apply for job seeker visa is it compulsory to have B2 level certification.
I am still learning german and i am doing A1 and A2 level.
I would never recommend applying for Jobseeker visa before B1 level even if you are an engineer. As job seeker visa is a special visa, that can be extended only with a Job-contract or Stellenzusage. And if you do not have proper language level then, you will not have enough time to search for a job. If you want to learn the language for more than 3 months in Germany, the better option is Student visa.
If you are a doctor then B2 level with good language speaking/understanding skills is a must. So that you can invest your time in Germany to search for a job, rather than wasting it on language classes.
Hey just wanted to say thank you! Very comprehensive 🙂
Thanks
Arun.:-
Hi Tejas
This is Arun , a product designer from Pune. I stumbled across your blog Your2ndHeart, loved it . Particularly your detailed write up on german job seeker visas , found it quite informative and helpful. Its truely great to see someone taking so much efforts to document all the details.
From your experience can you comment on how critical is it to know some German while applying for job seeker visa? It certainly makes your case stronger but is it something absolute mandate or would it be enough that I show my commitment to learn in near future?
The reason I ask is it will take at-least 6 months to pass B1 level. So would it make more sense to apply now or after clearing B1? What do you think? Appreciate any help.
Secondly , how much bank balance do I need to show. From your blog it seems like 1000€ per month for 6 months should suffice. Is that correct?
Look forward to your reply.
Thanks
Reply:-
Hi,
Mostly it depends upon your work and requirement of language in Germany to do the same work.
For doctors I would say B2 is necessary; for others it is different.
But still I would recommend to complete at least B1 or B2 level for applying Job seeker Visa. And beware! It is not a student visa, if you do not find a job within 6 months then you may have to leave Germany. So if you want to learn language for ‘a longer time’ in Germany, please apply Student visa. You should have sufficient time to search for a job, give interviews, fail at it, and try again.
1000 Euros per 6 Months? Where did I write it? It can be a mistake then. Please share a link to me, where?
mit freundlichen Grüßen
Tejas Ghetia
Question from Arun:-
Hi Tejas
thanks a lot for answering. I see what you mean, 6 months indeed a short time. Need some prior preparation. I ll take your advice on learning till B1/B2 level. My work is related to software industry , which many of jobs dont mandate German as such but neverthless I gues its good idea to learn anyways.
As far the bank balance , you are right it was not your blog but somewhere else I read that you should be able to show enough bank balance to sustain expenses of 800-1000€ per month for the duration of your stay.
Thanks again
Reply:-
Hi
I know engineers who didn’t get job because of really poor language levels. And they had to return to India.
Learn the language till the level it is required; consider B1/B2 as minimum. Also use your time wisely in first few months after arriving in Germany; they are critical and your time investment is main deciding factor.
800 euros per month is more than enough, I think. I read it like 1000 euro for 6 months. my mistake!
mit freundlichen Grüßen
Tejas Ghetia
Hello Dr. Tejas,
I have completed German Lang course till B1 from Goethe. B2 onwards I want to do it from Germany. I have already applied for student/national visa. I am confused with these subcategories:
While booking for visa I was informed that there are 2 sub categories:
1. Student language course without intent of subsequent higher studies in Germany
(If currently one is going for language course and later can be extended)
Also m mentioning in my cover letter that I want to do medical training later from Germany.
2. Master, post doctoral and post graduate with binding registration. ( this only when I have admission letter from university)
So I chose the 1st one. In the application form there is column regarding purpose of stay: it should be Studium or Language course?
(Medical training is where we are paid unlike other master courses. So it is not a higher study)
Hi. First of all, a big thank you for putting up all the information on your website in such a detailed manner. I have a question about the relevancy of work experience to education while applying for job seeker visa. I have a BE in Electronics Engineering but have all of six years of work experience as a Software Engineer. Is it required to have work experience and education in the same field? Will the mismatch between my education and my work experience affect my chances of getting a visa?
Thank you for your kind words. I do not have sufficient information about this matter. Please contact German consulate or Embassy for this. Thanks