Can I stay in Germany with Blue Card Visa

I am writing to seek clarification regarding my current situation with regards to my Category D Blue Card Visa. I hold a valid visa issued from March 2023 to October 2023.

Regrettably, I am no longer employed with the company that sponsored my visa. In light of this, I am seeking guidance on whether I am still eligible to visit Germany for the purpose of job searching during the remaining validity period of my visa.

I would greatly appreciate any information or clarification you could provide on this matter. Please do let me know if any additional documentation or steps are required in order to pursue job opportunities within Germany while my visa remains valid.

Thank you for your attention to this inquiry. I eagerly await the response.

9 Comments

Reply (9)

Yara_Community Manger

Updated:

Hello @touseefmurtaza , thank you for your question on our platform. I am sorry that you are no longer employed. In general if you have a valid visa, entering Germany should not be a problem. However, to stay in Germany with a valid blue card visa you should have a job offer. I understand looking for a job in Germany from aboard can be difficult. You will need the approval of the immigration service and fulfill the requirements to start a new job. You can read more important information about the Blue Card here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/eu-blue-card In general, if you lose your job the immigration office can prolong your stay for maximum up to 6 months (sometimes shorter). However, this is up to the immigration office to decide this is so called discretionary decision (Ermessung). I would also recommend that you call the hotline working and living in Germany for more information. Unfortunately, it is a German number, but they should be able to help you. Maybe our expert on work, Jens Leuner, also has other suggestions for you, @Faire Integration BB Best wishes Yara

touseefmurtaza

Hi @Yara_Community Manger thank you for getting back on my query. I want to ask What would be the consequences if i visit Germany without the job offer and will it impact somehow if I use Germany job seeking (Blue card) visa for the tourist purpose? I want to visit Germany to search for the job during my stay there. I roughly have 2.5 months of validity so should I take return ticket or the only one way ticket from my country and also what else I need to do, do I need to let the immigration office know about my Germany arrival even I don't have any offer yet or I need to tell them once I get the job offer. Also let say I didn't get the job during my stay 1-1.5 month then I have to take the exit ticket or should I keep return ticket first from my hometown? Thank you very much for the help!!

Yara_Community Manger

Updated:

Hi @touseefmurtaza ,thank you for your response. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the consequences will be. The immigration office could deny you an extension of the visa or tell you that you must leave because you do not fulfill the requirements for a blue card anymore. This is up to the local immigration office and their discretion. Since your visa was issued in March, they will likely ask you why you didn’t come to Germany then. In principle the reason for the visa, which is the job is no longer valid. Have you tried contacting the number I forwarded to you? You could also think about applying for another visa, for example a job seeking visa: https://handbookgermany.de/en/visa-jobseekers Also maybe can also help you with her expertise. Best wishes Yara

touseefmurtaza

@Yara_Community Manger Yes I tried the number but the operator said this number is not valid anymore and the new given number was not approacable.

Yara_Community Manger

@touseefmurtaza sorry that you could not reach the number. I just tried calling it, it seems to be active. The hotline is open Mon-Fr from 9am-16pm (Central European Time). However, they receive a lot of calls and might take a while for the call to go through. They also have the offer help via a chat and e-mail: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/service/contact-us/email. Please note that chat is also only open from Mon-Fri, 9am-15pm. (CET) I will also try and reach out to see if I can get more information and will get back to you tomorrow. Best wishes Yara

Faire Integration BB

Hello, My name is Jens Leuner. I work for the Faire Integration project. We advise primarily on the subject of labor law and employee rights in Germany. So if you find a job (hopefully soon) and have questions about it, feel free to contact me. We also advise personally throughout Germany www.faire-integration.de. I would also like to point out the following. If you cannot find a job that entitles you to a Blue Card due to the higher salary required, under certain conditions you may still have the option of changing the lane to residency under Section 18b (1) of the Residence Act. Among other things, this paragraph only requires a salary that is appropriate for the profession and the location. With best regards Jens Leuner

touseefmurtaza

Hello @Yara_Community Manger ? Hope you are doing great. Unfortunately I didn't receive the reply from the above contact us page but I booked my one way flight to Germany and hoping to get the job untill my visa validility. My question is, currently my visa category is blue card do I need to book an appointment with immigration officer to let him change my visa category to job search as soon as I land in Germany? and is it compulsory for me to have health insaurance although I don't have job? Thank you very much for this community to help me to understand my situation better.

Yara_Community Manger

Hello @touseefmurtaza , I am sorry that you did not receive a reply from the above contact. Unfortunately, to apply for another visa such as the job seeking visa, they might ask you to leave and apply in your home country. The immigration office cannot issue visas they can only issue residence permits. Yes, it is compulsory for you to have health insurance, even if you do not have have a job. You will have to pay for the health insurance yourself. Once you have job that is subject to social insurance your employer will cover your health insurance costs. Best wishes

Seoyoung_Community Management Support

Hi @touseefmurtaza ,

I wanted to check in on you.

How did it go with applying for a residence permit and job search?

We'd be happy to hear back from you with updates.

Let us know if you have further questions.

Best wishes

Seoyoung

A project by:

Funded by: