Need help on procedures after Family reunion Visa

You did not mention it, but I assume you are married to a German citizen and got a family reunion visa to join him in Germany?
(That is the only constellation I know of where you can get a permanent visa after 3 years.)
After arrival in Germany, you need to register your residence at the local town hall. With that you visit the local Auslaenderamt (foreigner office). They are often unpleasant and always slow, so count on a few months for them to give you the residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) for a year. They might request proof that yours is a genuine marriage and that you are living with your spouse and they do all this in German only, so bring along your spouse or a German friend if your language skills are insufficient). Before its expiry, you must go there again to extend it (going through the same trouble). On the third extension, you should request a permanent residency (Niederlassungserlaubnis). Once that is given, you can even continue staying in Germany  independently if you separate from your spouse.

Hello beppi,

Thanks a lot for the quick response, yes i did marry a german national, earlier i was able to find some of your response with regards to applying for family reunion visa and insurance in Germany , i found those posts very helpful , thank you sooo much for that as well.

and it was naive of me that the whole procedure is over since I got the visa , hahahaha.

Also , i have one more question which is completely out of subject, i am not sure weather it is okay to ask it here .

I have completed B1 level in german and i want to improve my fluency when I am there in Germany , i wanted to take a proper course in Goethe institute because all this time I was learning by myself and got help from online teachers for some time . But the course fee is very expensive , they charge 2200 euro per Niveau , i don't have that kind of a money , is there any other alternative way for me to learn german in Goethe , or i simple speak to the german people and learn the language in the process .

Thanks & Regards ,
Meenakshi

Once you are in Germany, your nearest Volkshochschule and other organisations offer (non-profit) German courses. They cost around €600/month for  full-time classes (30h/week, part-time costs less). It won't get cheaper anywhere, unless you are eligible for (subsidized) integration classes (which is unlikely).

meenakshi99 wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I heard that once i am in Germany, i got to register somewhere to extend my Visa for 1 year and i have to do it three times in total to get the permanent one.
Meenakshi

Like Beppi mentioned, you need to register your place of residence once in Germany. Your visa will be valid until the time it runs out. Usually the initial visa has some restrictions and is valid for 3 years but the exact time is dependent on your nationality. One cannot extend a visa for more time before it runs out. That’s not how it works. When the visa runs out, then one applies for a new one.

At this time, if you are still married, pay your taxes and other obligations and have no criminal record then you are most certain to get a new visa. And it should be unlimited  - but this is NOT the same as permanent. I see this confusion very often. What one should then get is called unbefristet Aufenhaltserlaubnis. It means you can stay on in Germany indefinitely. BUT if you leave Germany for over a year, you start all over again with needing to apply for a limited visa! So one cannot call it permanent!

There is a higher level of residency visa called an unbefristet Niederlassungserlaubnis that does NOT expire if one leaves Germany for over a year. There are additional requirements to getting this status. Eventually one qualifies for it simply through time without extra tests etc.  but like I mentioned, no criminal record, paying your taxes etc. For me as an American, I lived continuously in Germany for 15 years before being given the Niederlassungserlaubnis.

For people intending to become Germany citizens, they can usually already apply by the time they are eligible for a Niederlassungserlaubnis. There are some additional requirements but if one can fulfill them, they should go ahead and apply for citizenship. But I am not encouraging this. One must be a German citizen to vote in Germany but otherwise there are not so many major advantages over having the Niederlassungserlaubnis. And the main reason one may not want to become German is that unless from an EU country this means giving up your existing citizenship.  No double citizenship! There are 5 countries in the world that are exempted from this rule; India is not one of them. Double citizenship Germany and another non-EU country is only possible if one were born with rights to both citizenships - but it cannot be acquired.

Thanks Beppi, This is helpful for me

Tomin Stuttgard " Like Beppi mentioned, you need to register your place of residence once in Germany. Your visa will be valid until the time it runs out. Usually the initial visa has some restrictions and is valid for 3 years but the exact time is dependent on your nationality. One cannot extend a visa for more time before it runs out. That’s not how it works. When the visa runs out, then one applies for a new one."

Thank you sooo much, I believe no one can explain all these in such a detail than you did, Now i have a clear understanding on what are all the things i have to do in future in Germany.

Welcome to Germany!

meenakshi99 wrote:

Tomin Stuttgard " Like Beppi mentioned, you need to register your place of residence once in Germany. Your visa will be valid until the time it runs out. Usually the initial visa has some restrictions and is valid for 3 years but the exact time is dependent on your nationality. One cannot extend a visa for more time before it runs out. That’s not how it works. When the visa runs out, then one applies for a new one."

Thank you sooo much, I believe no one can explain all these in such a detail than you did, Now i have a clear understanding on what are all the things i have to do in future in Germany.

Well there is an official German Government website for immigration that shows all of the rules and requirements. And it is in multiple languages including English. But it seems people are unable or unwilling to use Google to find such things - especially IT people from India. Funny paradox because I often get calls from Indian scammers claiming to work for Google.

Lol, you are funny and what you say makes sense as well, by the way i am an Indian and i work in IT as well  .

I will make sure to check in german government website next time before posting such questions.

i applied for my spousal visa in South Africa,got it and flew to Germany,,registered at the foreign office,got a date to apply for my permit, went through the same procedure,even after passing my A1 course and when applying for my permit i had to answer 10 questions in the interview,,hahahhahaa,was so funny hey,then as thy say the loooooong waiting process started,,got my permit for a year after waiting 6 weeks, he said its only for a year then my wife asked but why only for a year,then he said under these circumstances what we until today still dont know what thy are he wouldn't answer us what thy are,,just carried on typing on computer,,then when my wife said but if its only for a year i cant apply for AOK health insurance because if u only have a year permit thy do not take one, for a year.even after showing him my bank statement that i am receiving a income every month from South Africa.he still said its only for a year,,and when i went to Aok the first hing the woman asked is for how long is my permit valid,,so luckily my wife knew that if its only for a year thy do not cover one,

The most relevant question seems to be why you only got a year’s visa. Usually when a foreigner makes it to Germany to join a spouse they get longer but that is assuming their spouse is German or an unlimited resident. This could be a result that your wife not only has a limited residency permit but because of other immigration irregularities.

I would suggest contacting a lawyer at this point. But find someone who has some experience with immigration issues and if possible with a recommendation from a person or organization you trust. Usually one can make an initial meeting for free to explain the problem to see if the lawyer thinks they can even take the case and help or not. If nothing else they might give you a referral to a lawyer specialized in such matters. I don’t know any lawyers in your area and have to admit I have had very mixed results from German lawyers, probably 3 to 1 that were virtually worthless yet charged a lot to ones that were competent and reasonably priced.

anthony hofmeyr wrote:

i applied for my spousal visa in South Africa,got it and flew to Germany,,registered at the foreign office,got a date to apply for my permit, went through the same procedure,even after passing my A1 course and when applying for my permit i had to answer 10 questions in the interview,,hahahhahaa,was so funny hey,then as thy say the loooooong waiting process started,,got my permit for a year after waiting 6 weeks, he said its only for a year then my wife asked but why only for a year,then he said under these circumstances what we until today still dont know what thy are he wouldn't answer us what thy are,,just carried on typing on computer,,then when my wife said but if its only for a year i cant apply for AOK health insurance because if u only have a year permit thy do not take one, for a year.even after showing him my bank statement that i am receiving a income every month from South Africa.he still said its only for a year,,and when i went to Aok the first hing the woman asked is for how long is my permit valid,,so luckily my wife knew that if its only for a year thy do not cover one,

i forgot to say he then gave it for 13 months

So did it then work out with the AOK?  )

i am still waiting for a answer..thy still havent said anything,,,...just the old question why did i wait so long before coming to apply ,and thy take the travel insurance as a private insurance,then i said who can one one faster-------one must first appl for the permit,,then it takes up to a month and then one must first open a banking account then one can only apply,,the woman was very unfriendly,,said oooooooh these spousal visas,,,,, was so rude,,,

on the subject about getting a lawyer,,ive heard so many times thy ask astronomical amount of euros then cant even help.up yo 300 euros  for a appointment,,,.as the system is so complicated due to paragraph 00000 sub clause 12 of clause 1000000000000 then in old end u are just where one started,,,,

There are over hundred public insurers. If one is unfriendly (or decides something you don’t think is right), just try the next one!
And lawyers’ fees are standardized - they should all cost the same for the same service (but the quality might differ).

so many say there are 100 companies,,but nowhere do one find the list of the 100.lol

im stiil waiting

anthony hofmeyr wrote:

so many say there are 100 companies,,but nowhere do one find the list of the 100.lol

Untrue: A short Google search for the right keywords (in this case "Krankenkassen Liste") would have given you several websites listing them - and faster than asking on this forum!
This is the one I like best:
https://www.krankenkassen.de/gesetzlich … sen-liste/
(And there are 148 of them, to be precise.)

anthony hofmeyr wrote:

im stiil waiting

Google is your friend - this link will download a PDF file "Krankenkassenliste"; I haven't counted them all, but there are 7 pages of it.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

ok thnks

anthony hofmeyr wrote:

on the subject about getting a lawyer,,ive heard so many times thy ask astronomical amount of euros then cant even help.up yo 300 euros  for a appointment,,,.as the system is so complicated due to paragraph 00000 sub clause 12 of clause 1000000000000 then in old end u are just where one started,,,,

Yes, lawyers in Germany can be expensive and then they might not even be competent in the area of law you need. It’s imperative to find a specialist in the specific type of law. An expert for divorce or business law might not know much about immigration and/or such healthcare insurance issues. Try to get recommendations. If someone you know can suggest an honest lawyer who doesn’t specialize in your kind of case then they might at least be able to recommend a colleague. An initial contact to give an overview of the problem should be free. They need to be able to say if they even take the case.

TominStuttgart wrote:

An initial contact to give an overview of the problem should be free.

You would think, or hope, so, but this is not the case.
By regulation, lawyers cannot give advice for free. Even for a first consultation, they must charge the stipulated fee of €10-190 (plus 19% GST).
Most go for the higher portion of this range, and may even add "expenses" (Phone, letter, prints, etc.) of up to €20 lump sum.
A few offer to deduct the cost of an initial consultation from subsequent bills (if you engage them further).
Cheaper (online) legal advice is available e.g. on www.frag-einen-anwalt.de
(Note: By German law, nobody other than a lawyer is allowed to give legal advice.)

What is the procedure to become a lawyer in Germany     , just kidding

beppi wrote:

TominStuttgart wrote:

An initial contact to give an overview of the problem should be free.

You would think, or hope, so, but this is not the case.
By regulation, lawyers cannot give advice for free. Even for a first consultation, they must charge the stipulated fee of €10-190 (plus 19% GST).
Most go for the higher portion of this range, and may even add "expenses" (Phone, letter, prints, etc.) of up to €20 lump sum.
A few offer to deduct the cost of an initial consultation from subsequent bills (if you engage them further).
Cheaper (online) legal advice is available e.g. on www.frag-einen-anwalt.de
(Note: By German law, nobody other than a lawyer is allowed to give legal advice.)

Of course lawyers don't give advice for free. But they can say if it makes sense to take the case or not. It's like a car. Garages charge to do a complete checkup or inspection. But when one goes in with a specific problem they say for free what the problem is and what they will charge to fix it.

I'm not sure which law Beppi is referring to, nor saying such a law in some circumstances exists or not but I've dealt with lawyers a number of times and always got such an answer for free. This is not the same as giving specific legal advice.

As a performer I also don't make shows for free. But one can always discuss the situation to see if one can make a fitting offer to a client. And an honest lawyer, if you can find one, can easily recommend a colleague or other possibility like a Verbraucherzentrale, or refuse the case when they see no chance of success - or give one a rough estimate of the chances. A major problem in Germany is that one might have the law on their side but to enforce it is so complicated, time consuming and expensive that it might not be cost-effective for many situations. In addition to lawyers, the court cost for civil cases can be thousands of Euros.

so endlly Aok told me i cant get insurance from them as a South African foreigner  ,i must either get a rent from German stae or job-center money,or work..i must go private,,and then the old story starts again,as soon as i as a person from a third world country like South Africa earns job center money and dont work i cant get my permit extended if i understand it right.its any-case to complicated for me,my wife dusnt earn enough salary and i dont get enough pension from SA for us both to be private insured,,1500 euro a month,,going to a lwayer money i dont have ..

If their decision is correct (it is worth having this checked by an independent expert, or apply at a few more public insurers) that you cannot join the public insurance scheme, and if you also cannot afford a private one, then you might not be able to continue staying in Germany.
(Note: The public insurance for a non-employed person without public subsidies costs minimum EUR350/month. It is worth checking if some private insurer charges the same or less. This depends on your age and prior conditions, and of course the tariff you choose.)

u must just remember once u land here in Germany all your problems really start,,applying for permit.then the waiting starts,,so slow,then getting the permit,,then opening a banking account,applying for sickness insurance,,hoping u fore-fill their requirements, not like me being told because u come out from South Africa third world country and not EU we cant cover u,and that i must either work or have a German state rent,or job center money,,lol

i applied at 3 others,,one straight away wrote back saying in my case thy cant help me,,once again dont elaborate on what the old story of "in your case" we cant insure u,same story when applying for permit he said "in your case i only give it for 12 months,and didnt want to say when asked waht is my case then gave it for 13 months,lol,other one had pages and pages of filling in and costs from 750 euro because of my age,,59..i waited so long for aOK  to say anything,,,i didnt apply at others because i though 100% percent i get AOK<maybe my own fault of not applying at many more,,,i will try looking for a expert,,,its all so complicated,

Yes, the matter is so complicated that even insurance staff is unsure and does mistakes. That’s why it is important to continue trying - and always get a checkable answer in writing.
You can find more advice and experts on the Krankenkassen Forum (Google it!).
I used their help myself before and recently helped an Indonesian family, who was also rejected by two insurers, to join a third at even a lower rate than the experts said would apply in their case (student tariff).