Language course visa

    Hello, how can I change my Sprachkurs Visa to a Family Reunion Visa when I’m already here in Germany? Or are there any other choices to be able to stay here using my marriage? My Language Course Visa is about to expire very soon.         -@novania

What is your citizenship and that of your spouse? If you are married to a German or other EU citizen or even a non-EU one - with a long term residency then you might have a chance. Contact the local immigration office. But one on a language school visa cannot bring a spouse or minor children on a family reunion visa. Such a person is not the base for further immigration as they only have a temporary, conditional residency themself. There is an exception for university students on a study visa if they have the financial means. But not for one in a language school or vocational training.

@TominStuttgart thank you. So I’m a Filipino who lives in Germany under a language course visa and I recently got married to a German citizen.

You married your German spouse abroad, according to your other post. (Why don'tyou put all the relevant information together in ONE post???) Then, as far as I know, you must apply for a family reunion visa at the German embassy in that country.

If you are already in Germany with another visa, you could ask at your local Ausländerbehörde if they can change your visa. This is not certain, so you must ask!

Hii i would like to ask a question.  I’m currently an aupair in FFM Germany but i want to extend my visa with language course visa and my host family will be the one to sponsored it . is it possible to stull with them while doing the language course visa?

im indonesian btw

thank you

@Febrykurniab You have to ask your local Ausländeramt (foreigner office), as the prerequisites and interpretation of rules differ fro place to place.

For a language visa, however, you need to attend a full-time language class - and you are not allowed to work besides studying the language. If you continue staying with the same family, the authorities are surely suspecting you to continue your Aupair duties with them. So you better move elsewhere.

You also need approx. 11000€ in a blocked account, to show that you can afford staying here and studying (without income).

I agree with Beppi's answer to Febrykurniab. If local authorities allow it, it will be under certain terms. They will want to know one is not simply extending their au pair situation which is strictly limited to a maximum of 1 year. And it is expected that an au pair taked some part-time language courses regardless. For such a situation as mentioned, one would have to go full time and be able to finance their stay. A study visa for university allows limited part-time work. A language course visa does NOT.

Staying with the family  would leave the possibiltiy to coninue to do au pair duties which would not be allowed. No use arguing that you won't because you have the burden of proof to show your intentions; they don't just take your word for it.

As far as finances. one needs a German blocked bank account with 12,324 euros/year. Was 11,207 last I heard but it has gone up. Not sure when it increased but I found this today on an official government site.

@beppi

From march of this year it is possible to work 20 hours

@Johanna Gonzalez Thanks for the information, which I did not know (but a quick Google search showed that it is correct).

But 20h/week is not enough to earn the full living expenses (and the language course results might suffer if you spend less time on it). Therefore, the requirement to have a year's minmum expenditure (currently 12k€, see above) in a blocked account still remains.

    @beppiFrom march of this year it is possible to work 20 hours        -@Johanna Gonzalez

Who can work 20 hours? An au pair works up to 30 hours - as an au pair, no other work allowed. A student at university up to 120 days/year fulltime (up to 8 hours) or 240 days/year half-time (up to 4 hours) or an equivelent combination. And now as of 2024 one doing an Ausbildung (vocational training) can also work up to 20 hours. One on a language course visa CANNOT work at all according to the site below.

Official rules for au pairs.

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/datei/au- … 030535.pdf

Rules for language course visa.

https://www.germany-visa.org/student-vi … ge-course/

One can do an intensive language course 3 – 12 months, min. 18 hours of course/week. One can apply for an extension of the language course visa.

One CANNOT:

Convert to a study visa

Change to a work permit

Do ANY employment

Start university studies

Apply for university.

If one wants to study at university after the language course one HAS to return to their home country to apply unless it was already approved beforehand!

Another source, this time the official German Immigration agency

https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/Migration … -node.html

Quote; "You are not allowed to work for the duration of your language course. Your subsistence in Germany must however be ensured."

@beppi Ausländerbehörde allows someone with language visa to work 20 hours a week . and i have asked them about living with my host family since end of July but i haven‘t gor any answer . that‘s why i was asking here maybe anyone know it .

and my host family will be my sponsor .

@TominStuttgart The Ausländerbehörde Frankfurt said for a language visa you can work 20 hours/week . it stated on their website too

@TominStuttgart The Ausländerbehörde Frankfurt said for a language visa you can work 20 hours/week . it stated on their website too -@Febrykurniab

OK, I found the link myself (proved below). Not sure what to think about this since other sources including the BAMF site, which is the national immigration authorities, currently clearly states that employment on a language visa is not allowed. Not sure if the rules have changed but the BAMF site has not updated this information - or if it is some kind of exception in Frankfurt… If so what other cities might also do this? Does someone else have links to reliable sites that might clarify this?

https://frankfurt.de/auslaenderangelege … ne-studium

Quote; “Gainful employment - The residence permit for to attend the intensive language course entitles the holder to work 20 hours per week.”

Not sure how this conflicting information is to be judged. But even if one is allowed part-time work, they will still need to put the required money (€ 1027.40 per month) on a blocked German bank account to cover living expenses to get the visa. The Frankfurt link also confirms this. Some people assume they can just subtract out the amount they expect to make with a job. But since employment is not guaranteed in such a situation, it is not factored in.

@TominStuttgart yeah. Bit if someone sponsoring you, you don’t need a blocked account . You need to make Verpflichtungserklärung.

@TominStuttgart yeah. Bit if someone sponsoring you, you don’t need a blocked account . You need to make Verpflichtungserklärung. -@Febrykurniab

This is usually wishful thinking. A sponsor for this can ONLY be a relative with permenant residency in Germany. Not a friend or company etc. And even for a relative it is absolute nonsense from a legal standpoint because they have to take full financial resposibility. Much easier and safer for them to just give or lend the money to be put in the blocked account than to sign such a document which is basically a blank check. If the sponsored person would run up huge debts then the sponsor would have to pay them. Nobody does this!

The other thing one should know when planning to do such a thing is that one almost never finds a part-time, well-paying job and certainly not without high qualifications like a degree and experience in a professional field. Students usually end up doing food service, cleaning and other low-paying jobs, even German speaking ones. To make enough to pay one’s living expenses is virtually impossible.

@Febrykurniab Sponsoring (i.e. signing a "Verpflichtungserklärung") makes one liablenot only for the fullliving expenses, but also for all other expenses like health costs (even in case of accident or hospitalization), prison cost (if you do something illegal) and deportation (if you overstay your visa), etc., without any legal rights to claim it back from you.

This is NOT something to do lightly - and nobody in his right mind would do it for anyone other than a close family member!

As Tom wrote, it is (for the sponsor) cheaper and less risky to just give the money for the blocked account (which is "only" the living expenses) as a gift.

Do you really want to burden your former host family with this?

I am from Bangladesh, I am applying on 1 year German language course, I have financial ability, can I bring my dependants with me. My wife and 6 years kid

Nope. On a study visa for university it is possible. Not on a language course visa last I looked. And it doesn't really make so much sense to totally uproot a whole family for such a short period. And one has a much greater financial obligation coming with family in situations it is allowed.

I looked at the link below to an official German government site. About the language course visa it does not mention bringing family but where it mentions a study visa for university it does. Thus I see nothing to think that it has been allowed. But a change in the new immigration rules as of 2024 has now allowed one to do some part time work; formerly allowed on a study visa but not on a language course visa.

https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/v … ry-process