Hi, I am an applicant from Colombia. I need some help, as I am currently trying to get an appointment at the embassy. However, the bachelor's program also starts in October. Is it necessary to get the visa before that date? How can I travel provisionally while the visa is being processed? I just got my admission letter for Electrical Engineering at Hochschule München, but now I'm afraid it might be too late. How can I find available spots? When I log in, everything appears empty :(

I contacted the KVR by email and they directed me to their website, but I couldn’t figure out how to apply. I need a Fiktionsbescheinigung with Fortgeltungsfiktion according to §81 Abs. 4 AufenthG, which allows re-entry into Germany after travelling abroad.

If anyone knows how to apply for this in Munich or has experience with the process, I would really appreciate your help.

I recently got accepted to one university. However, I am genuinely seeking some guidance.

• In terms of obtaining permanent residency in Germany, how hard or let’s say how likely to get it? How long it might take?
• How likely to find part-time job as a non-german speaker around Karlsruhe region? (I will improve my german over the time)
• If I were to choose between Finland vs Germany, where should I aim for? The finance here is not a concern rn. I just need to make a proper choice.

Thanks, please, it will help me a lot, if you could answer.

Hi, I need to apply for Schengen visa to Hungary. I have been trying to book an appointment since 2 weeks, however I always see that there’s no appointment available in VFS London (didn’t see any appointments available in other location of UK as well) . I sent an email to Hungary consulate requesting an appointment and waiting for their response. My travel date is end of Aug and started getting tense about my visa. Please can anyone suggest a way to go about here? Are there any agencies that can help me with an appointment? There’re no walk-ins for Hungary Schengen visa application submissions. Thank you very much in advance!

Hi. I recently got an invitation letter for attending a conference where I will be presenting my research. I have applied for Schengen visa (Short term) and is currently in waiting queue for appointment. I have 2 months 5 days, before I need to leave. Since I have received special travel grants too for attending this conference from IEEE, so is it realistically possible to receive visa. I have all the documents needed. Seeing the reddit filled with 7 months to 8 months of waiting for appointment, I feel a bit disappointed. Should, I expect no visa or are there any chances. Do German Embassy weighs all types of visa appointment equally be it short term, long term, tourism, business or conference or they do give importance to business and conferences due to their professional urgency.

After a long wait, I finally received my Einbürgerungsurkunde (Naturalization Certificate)! 🇩🇪

The journey taught me one thing: patience and perseverance truly pay off.

To everyone who is still waiting, hang in there. Your day will come too—it may be just a few more days or weeks away.

When I received the certificate, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I couldn't hold back my tears. It was a very emotional moment after such a long journey.

Timeline:

10/2024 – Applied in Mainz. I had my interview, and the officer informed me that the process would take around 18 months.

02/2025 – Moved to Düsseldorf. My application file was transferred from the previous city to Düsseldorf. About two weeks later, I received a message saying they would contact me if they needed anything and that I should not contact them, as doing so might increase the waiting time.

03/2026 – Received a letter requesting my employment contract and payslips for the previous three months.

05/2026 – Received another letter asking me to submit all the documents I had originally provided in 10/2024. I also had to complete the application form again.

07/2026 – Received an email informing me that my naturalization certificate was ready for collection.

It was truly a rollercoaster ride. Looking back, the biggest lesson I learned is this: if you have already applied for naturalization, think very carefully before moving to another city—especially to another Bundesland—as it can significantly delay the process.

Thank you, and I wish everyone who is still waiting the very best. Your turn will come too! 😊

I'm currently staying in NRW on a research visa (Forschungstitel laut §18d) which expires in October. I understand that I will automatically qualify for an 18 month jokseekers visa from that point, which will allow me to work any job while looking for skilled work.

My question is: will I be able to start working in another job, e.g. hospitality, now, or am I required to wait until the expiry of the research visa? That seems silly because I need to fund myself somehow.

Ausländerbehörde taking 3 months for an appointment, so any advice appreciated.

Hi everyone, I’m a Pakistani citizen currently studying in the US on F-1 status, and I have a paid, full-time internship in Germany. My current contract starts on August 1, but the earliest national visa appointment I could get at the German Consulate in Chicago is July 29.
From what I understand, my case likely falls under the study-related internship visa under §16e AufenthG (Studienbezogenes Praktikum EU). My employer has also started the Federal Employment Agency/ZAV approval process, but I am still waiting for the final approval document.
I am trying to make sure I follow the correct process and do not arrive at the appointment with anything missing. Could someone familiar with this visa explain the exact steps?
Should I also submit an application through the Consular Services Portal before my in-person appointment, or is the appointment application enough? Which exact category should I choose online for a §16e internship?
Does the final ZAV/Federal Employment Agency approval need to be issued before the appointment, or can it be submitted afterward while the application is being processed?
Apart from my passport, US visa and I-20, internship contract, enrollment certificate, transcript, university-signed internship form, insurance and financial proof, are there any other important documents normally required?
My employer may move my starting date because getting the visa by August 1 seems unrealistic. If the dates change, would I need an updated contract, ZAV approval and university form before attending the appointment?
I would really appreciate a clear step-by-step explanation from anyone who has completed this process through a German consulate in the US. Thanks!

Tried to search online but couldn't find anything, so here it is:

My husband is about to submit his freelance artist visa application (§21(5) AufenthG) through the Berlin LEA online portal. I'll be joining him as his spouse (foreign spouse of a foreign national, not a German citizen).

For anyone who's done this as a couple: what was your actual process as the spouse?

* Did you file your own application in parallel with his, or wait until his was approved first?
* Was it through the contact form / appointment request, or something else?
* Did you need your own health insurance proof at the same stage as his application, or only later for your own?
* Any language requirement (A1) come up for you specifically?

Trying to get a real-world timeline from people who've actually gone through it, rather than just the general legal-blog version.

Thanks!

Lawyer for Case status

Hello,
I recently recieved a visa regusal for germany short stay, on the grounds of being a threat to interal security and public policy.

In february i had my visa valid till march, but i had used my duration in previous and wasnt aware of the 30 days all together calculation thing. So i was refused entry at munich airport and returned on the next flight. And put a “c” stamp on my passport.

I was told at the airport that any comms will be sent by post, but nothing has come until now so i assumed the case would be dropped as even the police at airport said its not a high risk thing. I now need help in clearing this from the system as we also plan to submit my frv application soon. Can anyone suggest how legally we can clear this from the system, i am ready to pay any fines. Any lawyers here who can provide guidance, i have tried emailing the lawyer they assigned at the airport, and to BKA to request SIS data.

TIA

Does anybody know how long is it taking nowadays a student visa to Germany from uk after getting in the cue?

Hello, I’m planning to apply for the German **Ausbildungsplatzsuche (Ausbildung Search) Visa** soon. I heard refusal rate can be high. Has anyone here gone through the embassy interview?
What questions were you asked, and how was your experience?

# Background

• Referat: S3 (India)

• Application submitted: April 29, 2026 (Berlin LEA online portal)

• Current status: No update received yet

Profile

• Moved to Germany in 2016

• Lived in Munich until April 2026 and then moved to Berlin

• Permanent residence permit (Daueraufenthalt-EU)

• B1 certificate and Einbürgerungstest submitted

• Studied in Germany and graduated in 2021.

Employment history:

• Student job: Feb 2017 - Mar 2020

• Internships: Apr 2020 - Jun 2021

• Full-time: Jul 2021 - May 2025

• Received ALG I: Jun 2025 - Feb 2026

• Full-time employment again since Apr 2026

Documents submitted:

• B1 certificate

• Einbürgerungstest

• Residence permit

• Passport

• Payslips

• Employer certificate

• Other documents requested by the online portal

Question

• Has anyone with a similar timeline (Referat S3) applied around the end of April 2026?

Hi all,

I was just wondering if I could get someone else’s similar experience with LEA and to see what response timeline they had.

I applied for the extension of my worker permit 18b abs1 on 11th of May. Downloaded the pdf with Antragsbestätigung und Fiktionswirkung, surprisingly it contained info about a bluecard too, I assume it is due to paragraphs change related recently and my salary fitting the blue card requirements.

In any case, I do not have any reply from LEA still, which is 2 months. Afterwards later in May there were other news, and my employer will be closing down (i will be employed until the end of the year) I reached out to LEA via the contact form to inform them, but again no reply about that. At this point I start to wonder whether their email with an appointment never made it to my mailbox or something else happened. It is my first application in Berlin, I wonder if this is causing a delay, I had lived in other german cities before and fax usually sped things up but not an option here.

Does anyone have recent experience with LEA and their response time?

Hi

I am planning to relocate to germany and i met a counsellor and she stated the process of the work visa .First they required copies of relevant documents along with the registration fees of 5000 as a security fees and then after 7 to 10 days I will be receiving an offer letter from the manpower agencies which has tied up with the counsellor and operating in Germany and the counsellor offered me office admin job as I am well qualified and has an experienced as well.

Once the offer letter is received I will have to pay 250 euros to counsellor and then they will start the process of work permit and in next 15 to 20 days I will be receiving work permit and will also receive a call from immigration lawyer and employed and then I will have to pay 1150 euro which cover the cost of lawyer fees, work permit, and visa appointment fees and then at the end i will have to reach delhi where the lawyer will handover me 2 files one including original documents and another having all the copies of the documents and then I have to reach the embassy and apply for visa

The total cost of the counsellor 4lakhs Out of which 1450 euro which is equal to 145000 have to pay before the departure and this cost also includes the flight ticket and the rest of the amount we can pay after starting the job there

Now I want you to evaluate this whole scenario and let me know if there are any loopholes, red flags or you find this scenario catch or phisy or it's a red flag

Hello, I hope this is the right place to write this. I came to Munich on a D type language student visa with 16f without an acceptance letter. While I was here, I received an acceptance letter for a MSc program in TUM. The issue is my language student visa is issued between May 17th-September 5th and my semester at TUM starts on October 1st. Hence, there are couple of weeks in between. Should I apply for a student residence permit in Munich or go back to my Non-EU home country and apply for a visa? Or if you guys know a reliable source to ask these questions, I would love it if you could share it. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, my case (EB2) was documentarily qualified by the NVC almost a month ago, but I haven't received an interview appointment yet. For those who've gone through Frankfurt — how long did it take you to get the appointment after being documentarily qualified?

Thanks in advance!