In times like these, we get a lot of posts from US citizens or residents who want to “move to Germany” because they think that will solve whichever issues they are having in their own country. These posts tend to be somewhat repetitive, spontaneous, and non-researched, which is why discussions of immigration from the US will be moved to this post for the time being.
Please read the information below carefully. Yes, the post is long. But if you indeed intend to uproot your life to another continent, reading this post will be easier than any other step in the process. Also read the links provided, particularly the official websites.
Firstly, and most importantly: Immigrating to Germany is not as easy as just deciding you want to “move” here. Just like people cannot just immigrate to the US (you might have noticed the presence of walls, and people dying attempting it illegally because they do not have a legal avenue), those who are not EU citizens cannot just decide to move to Germany.
Non-EU citizens may need a visa to even be allowed to enter the country. Citizens of certain countries, including the US, do not need this. However, in order to stay longer than 90 days, they need a residence permit. This means that they need a reason that’s accepted by immigration law as sufficient to give them permission to live in Germany. “I want to live here”, “Germany is nicer than my country”, or “I’m American” are not sufficient reasons.
https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/
https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/paths
For most US people, the two most feasible avenues for a residence permit are a work visa or a student visa. [Note: while technically a residence permit is needed rather than a visa, "visa" is typically used colloquially to describe this. It will be used that way in the rest of this post.]
A work visa requires a job offer and (except for rare outliers) a qualification recognised in Germany. That means a university degree, or a vocational qualification that is equivalent to German vocational training, which is regulated, takes several years, and includes a combination of schooling and practical training. Neither “certificates” nor work experience or vaguely defined “skills” replace formal education. Being an English native speaker and/or an American citizen are not qualifications either.
Depending on your circumstances, it may be easy to find a job – or it may be hard to impossible. If your job involves location-specific knowledge, skills, or certifications, then you cannot just do that job in another country. Also, most jobs in Germany require the German language. As soon as you deal with customers, patients, rules, laws, regulations, public agencies, you can expect a job to be in German. Some jobs in internationally operating companies, IT startups and the like are in English. They are a minority, and people from many countries are trying to get these jobs.
If you heard that it is easy to live life in Germany in English because “everyone is fluent in English”: that is not true. For a start, while everyone gets English lessons in school, this does not lead to fluency for most. For another, daily life in Germany is in German even for those who are fluent in English. A great portion of the problems posted to this subreddit ultimately stem from not speaking German. https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/living/knowing-german
A student visa requires having been admitted to university, and proof of financial means for a year, currently ~12,000 Euro, usually in a blocked account. Note that this is the minimum amount the law thinks you might be able to exist on. It is not a “recommended budget”. In many locations it will not be sufficient for living costs. Starting out will also typically require additional money for things like temporary housing, deposits for long-term housing, anything you need but could not take on a plane, etc.
Be aware that a standard US high school diploma often does not grant access to German university, and that the vast majority of Bachelor and the great majority of Master degrees are taught in German.
https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/studying
If you manage to find an avenue to immigration, family reunification may be available – this goes for spouses, minor children, and in case of a Blue Card possibly parents (but may be prohibitively expensive in case of parents, due to costs for private health insurance).
Other family members cannot join you through family reunion. “Common-law” marriage does not exist; you need to be married. And as this is a “hack” that posters here sometimes want to try: Marrying your friend that you aren’t in a romantic relationship with, just so they can immigrate, is immigration fraud.
As some Americans think this should be an avenue for them: No, you will not get asylum in Germany. Nothing currently going on in the US rises to the level that would qualify you for asylum. Some would consider even mentioning it offensive, considering the circumstances that people may experience in other countries that still might not qualify them for asylum in Germany.
Finally, a large caveat: Do not assume that moving to Germany will magically fix your problems. A number of issues that people in the US mention as reason for moving here also exist in Germany, even in a different form. There are also issues in Germany that may not exist in this way in the US.
Do not assume that immigrating to Germany would mean the same lifestyle as in the US, just vaguely quainter, with Lederhosen (which most of us do not wear), and with free healthcare (it’s not free). High-earning jobs pay less than in the US, home ownership rates are lower, lifestyles generally are more frugal, politics are also polarised, certain public agencies are overworked, digitalisation is lagging, your favourite food may not be available… if you know nothing about Germany except stereotypes, and if you’ve never even seen the country, but you expect it to be some kind of paradise, immigration may not be advisable.
(Suggestions for corrections/additions welcome.)
by thewindinthewillows
1 comment
Thanks, I shall copy the link immediately to use as needed.
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