I successfully applied for a work visa here in Berlin, and I was blown away by how quick the process was, especially in contrast to the stories I hear about the same process in the US. From submitting all the paperwork to getting word that my application was approved, it took a grand total of
7 days. I was expecting to wait at least a few weeks, but it seems that the new Blue Card legislation has really streamlined things.
For anyone considering working in Germany, I would definitely recommend looking into the Blue Card, which offers some advantages over the normal work permit:
- It's initially valid for 4 years. For limited contracts, it's valid for the length of the contract plus 3 months.
- After 36 months with a Blue Card, you can apply for permanent residency (as opposed to 5 years with the normal work permit). This is lowered to only 21 months if you can prove B1-level German proficiency.
- You can leave the EU for up to 12 months without losing your visa status (versus 6 months with the normal work permit).
- After 18 months, you're free to live and work in any other EU country.
Further details:
http://www.bluecard-eu.de/eu-blue-card-germany/
For anyone considering working in Germany, I would definitely recommend looking into the Blue Card, which offers some advantages over the normal work permit:
- It's initially valid for 4 years. For limited contracts, it's valid for the length of the contract plus 3 months.
- After 36 months with a Blue Card, you can apply for permanent residency (as opposed to 5 years with the normal work permit). This is lowered to only 21 months if you can prove B1-level German proficiency.
- You can leave the EU for up to 12 months without losing your visa status (versus 6 months with the normal work permit).
- After 18 months, you're free to live and work in any other EU country.
Further details: http://www.bluecard-eu.de/eu-blue-card-germany/