Step 11: Applying for a residence permit in time

The bsu has open office hours. Just stop by!  Unfortunately, you cannot schedule an appointment at bsu. 
At times, when there are a great deal of customers – e.g. at the begin of a semester at universities in Bremen in March/April and September/October – it could be the case that only a limited amount of customers can be served on a particular day, and, at some point, no more waiting tickets for admission can be handed out on that day.  

E-Mail: bsu@uni-bremen.de

Mailing address:
bremen_service universität
Bibliothekstr. 6/Zentralbereich
28359 Bremen  

Tuesday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m.-4 p.m., Thursday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone:
Foreign affairs:
(0421) 218-61020 (Mr. Esen)
(0421) 218-61021 (Mr. Jahic)
(0421) 218-61022 (Mr. Napp) 

You can send emails. In order to retain or extend your residence permit, you must, however, appear personally. Your fingerprint will be taken, and, unfortunately, this can only be done in person!

This depends on the country. Easiest is for EU citizens and citizens of Liechtenstein, Island and Norway. They do not need a visa or a residence permit in order to work in Germany. They too, however, must officially register themselves in Germany and register at the Registry Office (Meldeamt) if they wish to live here permanently. It is relatively easy for student from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Brazil, Switzerland and the USA. They can enter the country without a visa but after their arrival, must apply for a residence permit. In order to work later on in Germany, they also need a work permit.  

Students from all other countries, however, should get in contact with us in order to extend their residence permit in due time or to apply for a new residence permit.

1. Be sure to come early enough and consult us 
2. Be sure to come early enough and consult us 
3. Be sure to come early enough and consult us 

Students must make sure that they seek advice in due time. On no account should the expiry date of the residence permit be exceeded. Best is to come by and ask four (4) weeks prior to the expiry date of the residence permit! 

The official language is German, but English is ok. With other languages, the employees at bsu need a translation.   

If you are already in possession of a residence permit, then you are allowed to work for a total of no more than 140 days or 280 half days per year (as of June 2024). The calendar year is used for calculation, so if the studies begin in September, the full quota for that year is still available.

In addition to this, there is the possibility to do student jobs at the university or at another academic institution without time restrictions. 

Also, (compulsory) internships accompanying your course of study, i.e. within the scope of your degree program, are additionally permitted. 

Towards the end of study, students should decide what they want to do afterwards. A Master’s program after a Bachelor‘s degree?  Or search for a job position? In the talks at the bsu, this should be clearly stated so that the best solution can be found, and, for instance, double fees for issuing the respective residence permit can be avoided.  

After successful completion of your degree program, the bsu is no longer responsible for you. As soon as a student has, for example, received a residence permit for 18 month for the purpose of seeking a job, then the Municipal Office of Bremen (Stadtamt Bremen) is your responsible authority.  

For the purpose of study in Germany, international students can basically stay for maximally 10 years. The fee for the initial issuance of a residence permit is currently 100.- Euros for a term of up to one year, and 100.- for more than one year. 

For an extension of more than three months, you must then pay 93.- Euros.

Graduates from German universities can allow themselves 18 months to find a proper job. During this time, they may work without restrictions. This has a great advantage over a residence permit for the purpose of employment for a particular employer because the graduates are much more flexible in their choice of work places – the authorities do not check if the job position is, for example, appropriate. In principle, the graduates can take on any job they want to: well or poorly paid jobs, tasks that relate to their degree or not, they could also begin a traineeship. This offers them an opportunity to be able to try out different things.  

As a general rule, students must submit their diploma as proof of having successfully absolved their degree program. In exceptional cases, a stamped and signed statement that all exams have been passed suffices.   

With this, students are admitted to the consultation hours of the bsu. It takes approximately 3-4 weeks for the card (permit) to be printed (it is printed in Berlin). The 18 months are valid as of the date of the (Bachelor or Master) certificate.   

For the 18 months, you must furnish proof of sufficient income for living costs (at least 853 Euros a month, e.g. proof in the form of your last three bank account statements). The declaration submitted for your studies is no longer valid. In addition, the student must be medically insured. 

For this, a fee of 93.- Euros will be charged.   

As soon as the residence permit has been received, the graduate can move about freely in the member states belonging to the Schengen area.

Important: Before the 18-month residence permit for job searching expires, an application for another residence permit or an EU Blue Card must be submitted in writing. Email or phone is not sufficient!

You can apply when you have had a residence permit for the purpose of employment for more than two (2) years.

The following applies: If a qualified employment is taken up after the studies, the settlement permit is granted with a shortened period of two years (§ 18c Abs. 1 Sentence 2 AufenthG). The general conditions also apply:

• 24 months of pension insurance
• Securing the livelihood, including for family members
• Test: "Living in Germany"
• German language level B1 (can also be demonstrated by completing a German-language degree program)

1. New in 2024: The job offer no longer needs to correspond to your degree.
2. The job offer should be an appropriate one. This is to prevent students/graduates from being taken advantage of or, simply, exploited.   
3. The job offer can also be a trainee position. In most cases, the German Central Placement Office (ZAV) checks if the position is appropriate. 
4. A similar situation also applies to the amount of income. This too, should be appropriate. Naturally, it depends on the field; IT graduates, for example, should not receive unfair, low pay.

As long as your files are at the bsu, you can apply there for a work permit. The students/graduates must then bring their diploma and employment contract and, if possible, a job description in the German language with them. As soon as your files are at the General Immigration Office / Municipal Office (Allgemeine Ausländerbehörde / Stadtamt), then you must apply for the work permit there.

As a student, you may work up to 140 full days a year. It is important to note that as soon as your studies have ended, you must apply for a work permit! Either on the basis of a residence permit for the purpose of seeking a job (18 months), as a Blue Card or as a residence permit/work permit tailored to a special job.

This depends on the length of service for the job offer. When the work contract, for instance, is valid for half a year, this is the least complicated case for you to apply for a residence permit as a job-seeker. In this event, the work contract must not be checked to see if it corresponds to your course of study.

In such cases, it is really advisable to consult the bsu!

Basically no. Internships that are performed in connection with your studies do not count towards the 140 days. An internship is not considered to be employment as long as a student is enrolled at university and the internship is related/ compulsory  to the course of study. The internship is an integrated component of the academic program and will not be counted as employment. Corresponding information on this is included in the ancillary provisions with regard to residence permits.

However, please note that optional internships do count towards the 140 days.

The Blue Card (since August 1, 2012) addresses predominantly academics with a recognized university degree and who have not already been living in Germany. The Blue Card is basically a simplified temporary residence and work permit. It is valid for four (4) years in the case of a permanent work contract; otherwise, it is valid  for the period of the fixed-term contract of employment plus three months. In order to apply for a Blue Card, you do not have to be a student in Germany. The basis for the EU Blue Card is a directive of the European Union, i.e., Directive 2009/50/EG on Blue Cards. The Blue Card EU serves the purpose of granting highly qualified third-country nationals stay in the EU in order to counteract a lack of qualified personnel. 

In addition to proof of qualification, proof of a specific job offer is required. Since November 18, 2023, the required salary thresholds have been lowered:

• EUR 3,775 per month in 2024 generally (without approval from the employment agency)
• EUR 3,420 per month in 2024 lowered (with approval from the employment agency).

A lower salary threshold applies to highly qualified individuals in designated shortage occupations, currently (June 2024) at least EUR 41,041.80 (with approval from the employment agency). These professions particularly include engineers, academic and comparable professionals in information and communication technology, as well as doctors. For these highly qualified individuals, the priority review is also waived. The exact list is available here.

It can definitely be worthwhile to apply for a Blue Card even if I have successfully completed my studies in Germany. For professionals in the first three years of their career, the lower salary thresholds apply. Therefore, anyone who has studied in Germany can apply for a Blue Card in the first three years of employment, regardless of the industry.

Further advantages of the Blue Card: in comparison to the “normal” work permit, you can apply for a permanent residence permit already after 21 months when you have a good knowledge of the German language (at least a B1 level). Without this knowledge, you may apply for the permanent residence permit after 27 months.  

Further information

For the residence/work permit, the following documents are necessary: work contract (if need be, a draft) and a job description.  

The Migrationsamt.

E-Mail: office@migrationsamt.bremen.de

...there is still an obligation to leave the country.

However, it may be possible instead to begin a dual vocational training program or apply for open positions.

To start a dual vocational training program, one needs a concrete training offer and a declaration of the employment relationship.

Switching to employment after dropping out of university requires either completed vocational training or a degree obtained abroad. Since November 18, 2023, there is a legal entitlement to the granting of a permit for any qualified employment. The prerequisite is the approval of the Employment Agency.

With the new Skilled Immigration Act, the previous discretionary entitlement to a residence permit for training purposes becomes a standard entitlement, provided that the Employment Agency approves it. (§ 16a para. 1 sentence 1 and para. 2 sentence 1 of the Residence Act, effective from March 1, 2024).

By the way: if you change your field of study, this must also be reported to the BSU.

In any case, please check with the bsu for details.

Unfortunately, that is difficult: as an exchange student, you must go back after you have completed your studies! Permission for the length of your residence can only be extended when you continue to study in Germany. So, you cannot remain in Germany, take on random jobs or look for a proper job position. That is not possible.  

The case is different for graduates who have a recognized university degree.  They, however, must apply in advance for a corresponding entry visa at the German Embassy, and with this visa, they may stay in Germany to search for work for six months. They also must provide evidence of sufficient resources to cover the cost of living for the planed period of stay, and they must have health insurance. During the time looking for a job position, they are not allowed to work or go into self-employment. Here, other regulations than those concerning a residence permit for the purpose of seeking employment apply.   

Please check with the bsu for more details and possible exemptions from the rule.

However, if you are already in the final semester of your studies, please contact the Migration Office instead of the BSU.

That would be an extremely bad situation because then you risk being convicted of unauthorized residence (a sentence of up to two years in prison)!