How to Immigrate to Germany: What North Americans Needto Know

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As a Canadian who’s lived in Germany for over 6 years, it’s far time that I shared myexperiences of how I immigrated. As a result, I’ve complied 5 of the most commonways that North Americans can immigrate to Germany.

Note: These ways to immigrate may apply to citizens of other countries as well. Being from Canada, I’m mostfamiliar with the rules that apply to citizens from North America, which is why I’ve focused on that. I’m not a lawyernor an immigration specialist. This information only a guide, not legally binding. Please refer to the German FederalOffice for Migration and Refugees for official information.

First things first. If you want to get a visa to work or study in Germany, you’ll need twothings. That’s as well as a LOT of other paperwork dependent on the type of visa that you’reapplying for:

1) Confirm your registration and address in Germany

This is VERY important. Nothing else gets done until you have this. It must be done within 14 days of moving to geteverything else rolling. It’s called an Anmeldebestätigung. Trust me, as part of the immigration process, you’llbecome a master of these long complicated German words. Nothing else happens until you have this piece ofpaper.

Be sure to keep it in a safe place for as long as you’re in Germany. When I went to exchange my Albertan driver’slicence for a German one, I was refused the first time. The reason? I didn’t bring my Anmeldebestätigung showingthat I had lived in Stuttgart. Never mind that I had lived in Munich for 2 years and had broughtmy Anmeldebestätigung for Munich.

The Anmeldebestätigung is serious stuff in Germany. You must register at a specific Bürgeramt depending on whereyou live. To find this, google Bürgeramt München, or the name of the place you are living. Then, you’ll be given theaddress and contact details. Depending on the office, there can be walk-in hours, or by appointment only. If you’redoing a walk-in, it will likely be very busy if you’re in a larger city. Go before it opens so that you’ll be one of the firstappointments of the day. You may still have to wait – it’s not uncommon to see 50 people lined up outside the doors,but it will likely save you several hours of waiting. It’s usually even busier if you go later.

This immigration to Germany guide will help you see through the cloudy process.

2) Get German health insurance.

You won’t get a visa until you have proof of health insurance. It doesn’t matter if you’re covered by your currentinsurance provider in your country. Travel insurance is also not valid. I found this out when my first visa applicationwas refused for having travel insurance. It must come from a German provider.

For my first year I used Dr. Walter (http://www.dr-walter.com/en/info-portals/visitor-travel-insurance.html) and found itwas the cheapest ~€70 per month at the time. It’s also worth looking into TK (https://www.tk.de/tk/english/610312).It consistently ranks well and has been my current health insurance provider for the past 5 years. I’m happy with it.

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It’s not easy to navigate through German bureaucracy, but this guide will help you.

5 of the most common ways that North Americans can immigrate to Germany:

1) German Language Visa

This is how I stayed in Germany my first year. I figured it would be practical since I would be living in Germany withmy then fiancée, now husband and didn’t speak any German. It’s valid from 3 months to 1 year and cannot beextended.

I took intensive courses in German in Stuttgart. Five days a week from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at two different privatelanguage schools. I can’t recommend a languageschool as the first one I attended, was terrible. See What ILearned from Choosing the Wrong German Language School. I ended up quitting right before my A2 exam afterbeing humiliated by the teacher. For legal reasons, I’ll simply say the language school starts with the letter H. Thesecond school I attended was better, but still not great.

Besides private language schools, you can also attend German language courses at the Volkshochschule (publichigher education). Every town and city in Germany has a Volkshochschule. These courses are generally thecheapest. However, they vary in terms of quality and are known for large class sizes. The language school with thebest reputation is the Goethe Institut. It’s also the most expensive. While I’ve heard good things about it, I’ve nevertaken a class there.

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Furthermore if you really want to learn German, I highly recommend learning German online. Ideally before youcome to Germany. Unlike most other German courses, this one focuses on vocabulary. It’s made a huge differenceto my German skills. You’ll also find free resources to get you started. This won’t count as being enrolled in aGerman school for the purposes of your visa, but it will do wonders for learning German.

You can find all the documents you need to apply for a German language visa here.

2) Study at a German University

Public German universities are well-respected, known for their academic rigour. In addition and unbelievably, theyalso offer free tuition for Bachelor and Master programmes – even for foreign students. You’ll likely have to pay anadministration fee, but that usually only costs around €100 to €200 per year.

The first step is to apply to a German university. Once you’re accepted the university will help you with thepaperwork that you need to get your student visa. You can find a list of international programmes, i.e. whereinstruction is in English on the DAAD site (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) or the German AcademicExchange Service in English. Note: if you choose a private university, you must pay tuition, which is usuallya significant amount.

3) Marry a German

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One of the great things about immigrating to Germany is the chance to explore the ~25,000 castles. Pictured: Drachenburg Castle near Bonn.

It should go without saying that you shouldn’t just marry a German so that you can immigrate to Germany. After myone-year German Language visa, I obtained a marriage visa which was valid for three years. At any point in thatthree years, if we divorced, my visa wouldn’t have been valid any longer. I have other American friends who had amarriage visa for five years. Perhaps it depends specifically on the country or on the person issuing the visa. I’vehad this conversation with many Americans and Mexicans. It seems rather random, although I’m sure it isn’t.

You can either get married in Germany, or outside of Germany. If you do the latter as we did by getting married inCanada, you’ll need to show proof that your marriage certificate is legit. In our case, that meant sending ourwedding certificate to the German Embassy in Canada. They then provided a letter written in German saying it wasvalid. Back in Germany, we had to have our wedding certificate translated by an official translator before I couldapply for the visa. After three years, and five for some of my friends, I was given permanent residency. I.e. my visaisn’t dependent on my marriage. I just have to renew it when my passport expires. You can find the specificpaperwork that you need for marriage here.

4. Obtain a freelance/Self-Employed Visa

Germany is one of the easiest countries in Europe to get a freelance/self-employed visa. This includes artists –painters, musicians, writers, journalists, engineers, architects, auditors, tax advisors, interpreters, English teachersetc. This is valid for up to three years and is extendable.

Remember, that while your primary concern might be finding a way that you can immigrate to Germany, officials aremore concerned with your skills and the economic benefit you will have on the country. Keep this in mind when you

meet with the Ausländerbehörde (Foreigners Authority) office. You can find specific requirements and considerationsfor a self-employed visa here.

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When you study Germany, will your study place look like the library in Drachensburg Castle?

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5. Obtain a Work Visa

Unless you’re sponsored, or work in an incredibly specialized field, this is a difficult option for North Americans. Inorder to hire a non-EU citizen, a company has to prove to the German government that no one else in Germany or inthe entire EU is capable of doing the job. Not an easy feat.This will be even more difficult if you don’t speak fluentGerman. Most of the North Americans that I know who are working in Germany are here with a company that theywere working for back home. They then transferred, almost always temporarily to the company’s office in Germany.

In addition, the sponsorship process complex. It’s easier, and cheaper for companies to hire someone alreadylegally able to work in Germany. In other words, they have to really want you to go through all the effort. I’m notsaying it’s impossible, just difficult. Most of the North Americans that I know who work in Germany and didn’t transferwith an existing company. Instead, they entered on one of the other visas first. Once you have permanent residency,which you can get after being here for three to five years, you can then work for any company with no special visarequired.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on the fast track to immigrating to Germany fromNorth America!

Disclaimer: This information is intended to be a guide to immigrating to Germany and is not legally binding. Refer to7/8

the German Office for Migration and Refugees for official information.

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