engelchen

  I find the reference letter itself very poorly written; it sounds as if someone used Google translate.    

  To answer your administrative questions, the officials might think that you are nuts (and you would be to do this), however, legally this is not really a problem. You only need to go to the Bürgeramt in Cottbus to anmelden.The ABH in Cottbus is responsible for getting your file from Berlin; you only need to go to the ABH when it is time to renew your permit.

  Did you try asking at info4alien.de? There are people there who also work in Standesämter and someone might be able to tell you what you can use instead to prove that you were legally divorced.

      Lying to the authorities in order to obtain a residence permit is a criminal offence in Germany.    1. Your employment has been terminated. This is relevant information with respect to your wife's application.    2. If you are only renting a room, you shouldn't lie and claim you are renting the entire house.

  He can't have his cake and eat it too.   If he doesn't want to be taxed here, he can leave Germany for good. @PandaMunich can explain about the tax implications.    Any type of scam he can come up with to avoid taxation here will eventually lead to his DA-EU becoming void.   Theoretically there is a way for him to prevent his NE from becoming void, however, that would require having lived here for more than 15 years AND having sufficient income (which doesn't seem to be the case).    

      Housing prices have increased dramatically in the past 8 years and it is not easy to find cheap accommodation. I think it is rather risky to hold out for something cheaper.    On the other hand, you should try to find a better job before your 18 months are finished.

Short answer:    All further extensions are at the discretion of your local ABH.   Long answer:      Let's go over the facts:   1. You came to Germany to work.  2. You worked for 3 years. 3. You then received an extension to look for a job for 1 year while receiving ALGI. 4. Instead of looking for a job, you spent your time working on your PhD. 5. You've now finished your PhD, but don't have a job.   On what grounds do you think you should receive an extension?   

  You are not legally allowed to be registered here if you are no longer actually living here, i.e. you need to have at least a room here. Anyone assisting you in breaking the law is also liable to pay a fine.             

  You can easily extend your residence permit once you find a skilled position. 

First thank you everyone for your advice and comments.   I went with a colleague who knows something about cars for a test drive yesterday. The car is very well maintained and has probably not left the Landkreis that often. The original owner was the woman's husband who passed away and now the current owner can't see well enough to drive (I didn't actually even meet her).     Then your car is probably not a good option for me. I'm very short and I'm more concerned about being to comfortably reach the pedals than the comfort of my guests.   BTW, I find the whole discussion about heated seats and mirrors to be rather funny since it never seems to get that cold here (anyone who disagrees with me just needs to experience a proper Canadian winter to know the difference). I know the car has heated side mirrors, but I'm not sure about the rest.

There are so many threads on buying used cars (and I think I've read all of them by now) that I didn't want to start another.   I'm looking for a used car and have requirements similar to the OP, i.e. a reliable small automatic. I haven't yet decided if I want to drive every day to work (and it is not that far), however, I'll probably do about 150 km/week during the summer. I've no plans on driving it any further than the Ostsee. Furthermore, since this will be my first car in Germany I am looking for something with a relatively low PS because it seems to be the most important factor influencing the cost of insurance.   A friend of a colleague’s is selling a 2005 Honda Jazz that hasn't been driven much (about 26,000 km) for 3,000€. From what I can tell it seems to be about the going rate for the car (which surprised me). Does anyone have any experience with an older Honda Jazz? Are they reliable? Are there any downsides to buying an older car that doesn't hasn't been driven so much?    

  In your profile it says EU, why do you have a study permit?   Citizenship is important not only for questions regarding immigration issues, but also for questions with respect to eligibility for certain types of welfare/social services.

  You are confusing temporary visit visas and residence permits. Your colleagues who came to Germany on a temporary C visa, needed to return to Russia to apply and receive a long-term D visa that makes it possible for them to apply for a residence permit in Germany.   Foreigners who are already resident in Germany (and hold a German residence permit) are allowed to apply to work for another employer within Germany (certain exceptions apply).   For future reference, if your company is seriously interested in hiring a foreigner who needs a visa, they can also tell them to apply for a job seekers visa when coming for an interview. This special permit makes if possible for qualified workers to change to a residence permit without having to go back home first.    

  Are you a specialty cook? There are only very few residence permits that cannot be extended here.

  It seems that the OP had a permit tied to his original employer (probably §§18, 19, or 20) and didn't bother to have it changed to the new one.