Once you’ve been in Germany for a few years, the restrictions imposed on your work permit might melt away with the magic words “Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet” or “Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt”. But these words can be misleading and have been known to put freelancers in a tight spot. We explain the confusing caveats of “free access to the job market”.
Category Archive: Immigration and Visas
Client Spotlight: Alex Maxwell
Introducing our first star…
Alex Maxwell is up in our new Client Spotlight Series. This series was inspired by the many amazing people our team has had the privilege of working with over the years – it is my absolute pleasure to have Dr. Alex Maxwell as the first!
Wow, where do I even start sharing this amazing human with you? Though her accent will fool you into thinking she’s from the U.S. (yes, I am a U.S. native and saying this with absolutely no pause), Alex is from Russia. After doing some cultural exchange programs in the states, Alex decided at around 20 that she wanted to emigrate.
Six ways to win over German bureaucrats
It’s taken me years, but I’ve finally unlocked the secrets to winning over German bureaucrats, and I’m here to share six of them with you.
Opening a blocked account (Sperrkonto) for the student visa
More bureaucracy for your student visa application? Sperr me! Katie Kruse from Red Tape Translation tells you how to make your rations last when you’re studying in Germany.
Applying for a residence permit without the technical drama
Tired of the constant refreshing of the LEA Berlin website? Seeing site outages almost every day? We’re over it too. Here’s another solution to your problem, even if you’re only here as a tourist.
Getting your qualifications recognised
Looking to boost your chances of finding a job in Germany? Need Germany to recognise your uni degree so you can get a work permit? Be warned, the process is long-winded, expensive and frustrating.
Residence permit holders can get ALGII until the end of 2020 in Berlin
If you’re receiving ALGII benefits and you have a residence permit, you might have been feeling on edge lately as the deadline given by the Berlin foreigner’s office edges closer. You’ll be pleased to read that you can now receive social welfare at leastuntil the end of 2020.
What does Take a Translator look like post-Corona?
The on-site services we’re accustomed to offering at public offices around Germany have changed for the foreseeable future. Read on to find out what it looks like to take a translator to an appointment with you during the Corona pandemic.
Can I get back into Germany with a Type D visa or residence permit? COVID-19 update
So many people asked whether it would be OK to return to Germany from their overseas trip now that Germany has closed down its borders. We have a somewhat vague answer for you – it’s not bulletproof. There might be hope. But your flight will probably get cancelled anyway.
The Brexit Collection
Here’s a collection of all the observations, tips, tricks, anecdotes and commentary written by myself and my British peers, all of whom are entangled in Brexit one way or another.
At the turn of 2019 we gave you Six Tips for Skittish Brits in the wake of the forthcoming Brexit deadline.
Interpreter and singer Suzy Fischer played her cards right for early German citizenship.
Eight months after submitting her citizenship application, Katie Kruse received a curious letter.
Spurred on by her generosity of spirit and emboldened by her dual citizenship, Katie regaled us on how to pass the citizenship test with flying colours.
German citizenship: Katie gets a curious letter
by guest author Katie Kruse
On a sunny morning in May, a day so wholly unexceptional that I expected nothing more than the customary rising and setting of the sun with the filler that is life in between, a letter dropped into my mailbox. It was no bigger or smaller than your average letter, the little window was neither shiny, nor dull, nor did it instill any particular hope that this letter should be different to any other letter I have received since living in Germany. I did not know at this point just how special this letter was.
How to buy extra time in the Schengen Zone with a Bilateral Visa Waiver
Those pesky 90 days in the Schengen region, they disappear so quickly. Now time is running out and I really want to stay, just a bit longer – can I extend a Schengen Visa? Can I get my leftover Schengen tourist days once my resident permit expires? And what is this bilateral visa waiver thing I keep hearing about?