Visa extension for Americans (Aufenthalterlaubnis)

They probably thought that Milka chocolate, the one with the picture of a cow on it, was a beef product.

Yeti would say that Gen would say that. WTF, what do you mean theres not any real cow in swiss chocolate. What am I eating this for if not for the protein. Next you'll be telling me there's no real girls in girl scout cookies. You've ruined my faith in mankind, I tell you. Ruined. I hate you. I hate you all.

ps: Andy - ah then Switzerland to Milan makes perfect sense if you're going shopping

@Kay--opss it is the Duomo Square and normally i stop at the UBahn @ Duomo.

@Jml---what brand of chocolate do you like from Swiss?

Are other people allowed to offer their suggestions, or only jml? I mean, the thread is out of control anyway, but that doesn't matter because it was shit to start with anyway.

My favourite so far is the Co-op own brand double creme. Comes in blue and white packaging and proves you don't need to hit 70% cocoa to make great chocolate. Haven't been often enough to hunt down the local chocolateries though.

I like almost all chocolate. But I'm pretty basic, I just like plain semi-sweet or dark chocolate. If you go through the zurich airport, check out the Lindt shop there. There is (or was) a lovely chocolatier lady there from the US, Oklahoma I think. She's got the chef hat on and everything. Becareful though, she'll sell you the entire store.

@JML

I know for a fact that Gen is a high ranking member of the top secret Toblerone Global Takeover organisation so any of her opinions on chocolate or facts provided about the same are as suspect as an Emmentaler without the holes.

I could tell you more but you would have to die the death of a thousand Milka bits afterwards.

I always thought that you have to go back to your country of orign? Don't think you can just go to Switzerland and then come back with a new tourist visa. If you are just here hanging out, not working, you should be able to get you tourist visa extended a month.

There is a 180 day / 6 month waiting period before coming back.. So while clever, this won't work.. Go read the Regs. before posting bad info. that others will see and think is true And during these 180 days, you must leave the EU and Schengen states. Switzerland joined the Schengen States Treaty on June 5, 2005.. So Switzerland is nolonger a temp. haven for permit dodging..

The Only Country in W. Europe that is not part of the EU or The Schengen Treaty, is Andorra, so brush-up on your French and Spanish

So I have to wait 180 days before I can come back to DE and the Swiss is out of the question

This is correct, unless you never got your passport stamped in Germany when you entered. I am assuming you did and are on a lease contract with your boyfriend(so you are documented). You can of course have your boyfriend sign some paperwork stating he is financial responsible for you(but you cannot work)so you can get a residence permit. They suggest you get this done when you go back to the states but a good lawyer should be able to get it done here(just more of a hassle).

A trip to Uk will also put a stamp in your passport

edit- my fav choc is Cote'd'Or dark with Almonds from Belguim- got two bars in the cupboard- can you hear them calling my name?

Bet the blue isn't looking like such a bad idea afterall, eh.

deleted

So the Swiss is the best and I am allowed to do this? This seems a little weird? I was stamped in DE am I still OKAY!!! Thank you all for the help!!!

@Linzi

Nope.. See this last post from myself...


PS: Mods, please don't touch my links...

It is good that i had my P.S within my Visa extension experience for the others to take note

I just came from the KVR. I've been in Germany 3 years working for the same firm and now qualified for the unlimited work permit which allows me to work for any company in Germany. Its good until 2009. The things I needed were:

1. Additional pages in my passport - I only had two pages left - available at your local consulate.
2. An official letter from my company saying that I was still employed with them.
3. A "biometric" photo - you can get these done for 5 euros (in change) at the machines in the KVR. I had passport photos dabei but apparently you're not allowed to smile in them.
4. 10 euros for the permit.

It wasn't really a big deal but I had to go in twice on formality. My last pass expired and had to be renewed in December. I tried but was unsuccessful in getting it early. All in all I was in and out in 30 minutes flat.

Cheers
jml

OK, so when did this all change. I've been here and working since November 2001. I got a renewal on my work permit and residence permit in November 2004 - ie worked for the same company and lived at the same address for 3 years, and I did not get an unlimited work permit. They said I have to wait until I have been here 5 years.

So, does anyone know when this changed?

Not positive but I think it must have been posted here sometime within the past year - I keep my eye on the permit threads and made a note of it several months ago. Sounds like you qualify as well

I'll have been here for 5 years in the beginning of next year, but have worked in 3 different places and was also a student for a while (but had employment the entire 5 years). Will that matter? What if I want to become selbstständig? Does anyone know the ruling on that?

jml is that an unlimited visa in time or in employer? Or is it the same thing? I may have interpreted incorrectly, but does this just allow you to work for someone else than your current employer, but it does have the time limit of 2009? Is there a difference? The reason I am asking, is that I would like to get one as well, and don't know exactly what to ask for.

"Aufenthaltsgenehmigung und Arbeitserlaubnis"

Its unlimited in terms of the employer. To my understanding, it allows me to live and work (for any company) in Germany until 2009. It does NOT, however, allow me to work as a freelancer.

HTH
jml

Well, I just went there today with the information printed out. I was turned down, well not actually. But I was yelled at during my visit. I have to go to the are for Studenten/Wissenschaftler. I went in and explained that I have a visa that runs until the end of 2007, but I read the regulations concerning the "Verordnung über das Verfahren und die Zulassung von iim Inland lebenden Ausländern zur Ausübung einer Beschäftigung" and I would like to be able to not be tied only to working at the LMU. He immediately became aggresive and asked why I would be interested in doing this? I replied, that for a person in my position, it can take a year to find suitable employment and I would like to continue to work in Germany. Be able to tell future employers that I am legally allowed to work in Germany would make things simpler. He then said that over 5 million Germans are without jobs right now. I calmly stated, that this is definitely a difficult time, but from my understanding I have a right to have this change on my visa status. He then read over the regulation which I printed out and tried to say that this did not apply to my case. I read to him where I believed that I indeed qualify. He then pulled out a form for requesting a job in Germany. He then said that when I want a job I should fill this out and then the Arbeitsamt will state whether or not I have Prufung. I replied that I do not want to argue, I just want to understand why I do not qualify for the visa I am asking for, because it specifically states that , "Die Zustimmung zur Ausübung einer Beschäftigung kann ohne Prüfung nach §39 Abs. Satz 1 Nr. 1 des Aufenthaltsgesetzes. He then called over the other person in the room and showed him what I printed out. He tried to explain to me that since I did not pay insurance for the first year, that this year does not qualify. ipointed out that there are two cases: 1) three years paying insurance or 2) four years in general (unless you are a student than your time counts as only half with a maximum of two years). They then said that the law actually states that kann ohne Prüfung and not muss ohne Prüfung. Therefore they "can" issue it, but regelmässig, they don't. I asked why, would they not issue the permit in my case. He then started yelling that he does not know about this law, and does not have anytime for this and I can talk to his bos. Zimmer 1050. I was late for work, so I left with him still yelling. I turned around and just said, "Entschuldigung wegen meine Störung, aber ich möchte nur zu wissen was bedeutet die Gesetz." So, I will have to go another day. But be warned that the Beamtes do not always like to be informed about their laws by foreigners.

What do you mean insurance? Health insurance?

The first year I came on as a visiting scientist and was given a grant/stipend. This is through the Alexander von Humboldt/German Government. This is non-taxable income. Therefore I did not contribute to the social tax structure here. However, this is required only for the first clause of the law. The second clasue is that you resided here for four years.

I found this information about an unbefristete Aufenthaltsgenehmigung this site:

..and this about employment and self-employment:


Maybe it'll help some of you...

Those are the older regulations. Here is what I brought them and what should apply to me. I at least could not get from them the reasons why it would not. The point is they did not know the new law and even after him searching for five minutes for a way to exclude me he could not do it.


The second case applies to me. There are exclusions or clarifications for the second case listed in §16 and §13. But these do not apply to me, in particular one of the exclusions states that if you were a student, only half your time would count with a maximum of two years twoards the four year requirement. There are no longer any unbefristet visas. Visas that allow the same thing as the unbefristet, but they have another terminology applied to them now.

BrokenM - I had a very similar experience when I first moved here, and when I went in for my first renewal, and my second, and my third ...

Anyway - rule number 1 at the KVR is not to piss them off. Rule number 2 is that your status (length of visa etc) often depends on your beamter and their mood. After all, it is up to them to decide who can stay, not us as foreigners to tell them they have to grant us carte blanche to stay.

That said - I now have my Niederlassungserlaubnis (yippeee!!!)
But I have been here almost 15 years, employed the whole time (with the same company ). This time it was amazingly easy. (I had made extra copies of all my papers for nothing ) But I ran into a friend of mine the same day with the same Beamter (as it goes by last name) and she was having a tough time.

regarding your statement above, you have to have had an Erlaubnis to live here, not a "Bewiligung". the residence permit has different levels (my info is 5 years old, however). as an intern, I had a "Bewiligung", then I got an "Erlaubnis". The time I was here with a "Bewiligung" did not count towards me getting a permanent residence permit.

EDIT: @MoiLV, it seems the rules have changed. looks like they now want to see you gainfully employed (not any €400/mo. job) for at least 3 years.

@ brokenm: good digging.

I know that it is dependent on them. I went in and the whole time I was polite and friendly. I only tried to find out if this did apply to me and if it did not, why it did not. I apologised for taken his time and tried to be friendly even when he started to yell. He became angry, because he knew I was correct. Next week, I will return and speak with his boss, which he told me to do. I even dressed up to try and impress this person.

I also want to point out that I may be wrong and I do not qualify yet. But I only asked why it would not apply for me. After everything they said, that the law rests on the word "can" and not "must". That is why I will return next week, to find how they discriminate between allowing people to can and can not.

Ugh, that sucks. Well, then I guess I'll just have to wait again. How lame. Oh well, it's not a big deal, I'll just have to go to the KVR more frequently. Lucky me

Be strong. One year when I was there I met two people, americans, from the same company, same jobs, different last names. Person A was granted a 9 month visa, Person B a 6 month visa. When I passed them on the way out, they were waiting together at Person Bs office to ask about why the one had gotten a 6 month visa. I don't know what happened, but I wouldn't have been surprised if the beamter changed Person As visa to a 6 month one.

Even if you qualify, they don't have to give it to you. (I know, very annoying - been there and done that, repeatedly). But it makes it so much more rewarding when you finally get it.

And if one word in a paper is wrong then they tend not to accept things either (my girlfriend last week had a paper from her Steuerbrater that stated her "umsatz" but did not have the words "netto verdienst" which is what caused her a bunch of grief.

My girlfriend is upset and she works for one of the large newspapers here in Germany as a journalist. She wants to go with me next week and record the conversation that I will have with the "Chef". But I am not in a hurry as my visa is valid for two more years. I would just like to look for another job during this period.

ROTFL - it happens to every foreigner here at least once. You have a residency permit, if you ever change jobs (which won't be tomorrow) it shouldn't be a problem to change permit status to comply.

Compared to the states it's a piece of cake - you should have her follow people around there (my uncle used to work for immigration - the stories!!)

EDIT: ok, that said, I did almost break into tears when I moved to Munich and had spent three days trying to get my residency permit. But what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger, right

Does anyone know anything about extending an Au Pair visa?

Do you need to open a German bank account, I heard you have to prove that you have some money to live on to get a residence permit, someone said a minimum of 800EUR a month, I have way more than that, probably enough to live 2 years in Germany, but I only want to stay in December and then I am on my way to Australia.

Yes, a German bank account is a sure fire way to prove you have the dosh...

Would they give me all this hassle if I have a good job and a German son, when i go renew? or is it different?

It's Germany.. What Amt doesn't like to hassle People.

Amen DarkKnight, Amen.

Just some information that may be new here. I am a US citizen and went to apply for a 1st visa this morning. I had planned to apply for a language study visa but as it turned out, I am able to get a one year visa if my (German/employed) partner will sign that he is financially responsible for me. He will have to show proof of his income and I will have to provide proof of health insurance and a passport photo but no other materials. I will not have to provide bank account information, or educational credentials. The person helping us indicated that this is a privilege associated with US citizenship and not available to most others. He did seem somewhat incredulous "You know how they treat us over there?!" he said to my boyfriend. sigh...

@ PA

so you got your BF to "sign" for you? any specifics that you had to do? other than showing ur BFs income records...?
have you completed this already? what type of health ins did you have to have?

OK, so I've gotten some conflicting information on this topic - but I'm sure you guys would know if anyone does -

for an American, what do I actually have to do to qualify for a residency permit, ie to seek work, etc. I don't really want to be a "student" anymore (neither does my bank account, I'm about to pay my first installment of student loans. woohoo.) Do I just need to get SOME kind of job? Or does it have to be a specifically American-person-is-necessary kind of job?

Also, does anyone know where I go to find official American-friendly advice on the subject?

For the record, I have a degree (from Northwestern, in Film) and am studying German right now.

I'm here (on my 90 day tourist visa) to study German but I'd really like to stay. Just got here last week. So lovely!

thanks lifesavers!
cate

Not any job will do.. It must be a job that a German or other EU national can't do, or a job which is considered a higher education speciality
type job. Something like International Law, Network engineering or a Dr. of some sort.

I looked through the forums, but couldn't find the answer to my seemingly simple question:

What forms do you need to extend a visa?

I have my work permit, that was renewed about 4 months ago, but they said that I couldn't prolong my Residency until it had gotten closer to the end date. Do I need to prove I have a job again? Or do I just need the form: "Antragaufenthaltstitel"?

Thanks for your help!!

If I remember correctly, I always had to bring these:

- Last 3 months proof of income (pay slips)
- Letter from my employer stating I am working there and for how long the contract is valid
- Contract from your apartment/house (Not sure about this, but I am sure this was requested last time when I got the upgrade to NE).
- Pictures
- Money

Give them a call and ask just to be sure.

Great! Thanks!!!