vindynos

Chancenkarte whilst on ALG 1

Hi,
I am residing in DE since 2022. I have a Masters degree from a German University. I would need advice and help regarding my visa and arbeitlosgeld.

I am registered and receiving Arbeitlosgeld from March 1 2025. My Bluecard expired on Jan 20, 2025 (my PR was rejected as I got a termination notification in Feb), and since then Ausländeramt has extended my Fiktionsbescheinigung thrice. Once until April 12, then April 30, then until July 29. In the meantime, I also applied for a visa extension(they call it a chancenkarte). Now I received a notification from Auslanderamt that they can't process for chancenkarte while I am receiving Arbeitslosengeld. The implication to me is that I have to stop receiving Arbeitslosengeld to get considered for Chancenkarte. I have already submitted my bank savings to the Auslanderamt, but they don't care about it.

I have sufficient savings to live, but also after having worked more than 2 yrs I believe I am entitled to receive Arbeitslosengeld, legally, until next year, Feb. Is losing ALG 1 the only way I can stay in DE? Their exact statement was "Da der Bezug von Arbeitslosengeld I nicht als Sicherung Ihres Lebensunterhalts gewertet werden kann, kann die Karte unter den jetzigen Voraussetzungen nicht erteilt werden."

Other notable points are: I am rigorously applying for jobs, doing skill courses, and also visiting the B2 Business course from BAMP on advice from Argenturfurarbeit, which runs until Nov 15, 2025.

Request for clarity for my rights of stay and receiving arbeitlosgeld.

Thanks

4 Comments

Reply (4)

Barbara__Community_Manager

Hi @vindynos , Thank you for getting in touch. Could you please let us know whether you have already used the 18-month job-seeking period after completing your Master's degree and before starting your job for the Blue Card? Best Barbara

vindynos

Thank you for quick response. I appreciate it. No, I haven’t used 18 month job seeking visa. I got job offer at the end of my studies, my student visa was directly converted to Bluecard. Is there a possibility to revoke this 18 month job seeker visa?

Barbara__Community_Manager

Hey @vindynos , I have forwarded your question to our expert. We will get back to you as soon as we receive a response.Best Barbara

Barbara__Community_Manager

Updated:

Hey @vindynos , we have got an answer from our expert.

You do not have to stop receiving ALG I. Make that very clear to the Ausländerbehörde. To continue receiving ALG I, you need a valid residence permit. If you don’t have one yet, a Fiktionsbescheinigung is also sufficient. What matters is that you are still available to the labor market.

So you should continue with your Chancenkarte application. If that doesn’t work out right away, at least apply for a Fiktionsbescheinigung so that your ALG I payments can continue.

Also make it clear to the Ausländerbehörde: This is about ALG I, not ALG II (Bürgergeld). ALG I is not social assistance – it’s money you receive because you were previously employed. Therefore, it should not be a problem for your residence status.

Ask the immigration office to issue your residence permit as soon as possible. If that’s not possible, request an official written rejection notice with the right to appeal.

You could also consider applying under §20 of the Residence Act. But this is not entirely straightforward. It would need to be clarified with the Ausländerbehörde and considered whether it’s worth pursuing.

I definitely recommend that you contact a migration counseling center so they can support you throughout the entire process:
https://bamf-navi.bamf.de/en/Themen/Beratungsstellen/

Please keep us updated – other users might be in a similar situation and would be glad to learn from your experience.

Best wishes
Barbara

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