German Immigration News

Anyone who checks the appointment calendar of a German embassy or consulate abroad is familiar with the sobering message: a waiting period of six, sometimes twelve months, before a visa appointment is even available. Skilled workers who have a fixed start date with their new employer in Germany, for HR departments that urgently need a new employee to begin work For those who rely on skilled workers or for students with a fixed semester start date, this is not merely an in

Introduction In my experience, hardly any phrase in visa rejection notices from German embassies and consulates causes as much uncertainty as the subordinate clause that mentions the applicant's previous applications. It might state, for example, that "the overall circumstances of the case, in particular the previous rejection of a student visa," raise "doubts about the applicant's actual purpose"—and suddenly a client who has submitted a new, otherwise well-founded applicati

Introduction Few questions cause as much uncertainty in my consulting practice as the calculation of salaries for EU Blue Card holders and skilled workers with residence permits under Sections 18a and 18b of the German Residence Act (AufenthG). Employers present their international skilled workers with attractive compensation packages: a base salary, plus a performance-related bonus, sales commission, a company car, and occasionally stock options or RSUs. From a recruitment m