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

10 Comments

Reply (10)

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

vindynos

Thanks for the detailed response.
Regarding Fiktionsbescheinigung, when I mentioned I will apply for extension they replied it has been 3 months since jobloss and that deadline has already passed. That application to Chancenkarte is the only way. Which does not make sense to me.

However, I have also gathered similar info from my lawyer consultation, that ALG1 should not affect the processing of the Chancenkarte. I have an appointment with Migration counselling center on Monday, and I will try to defend this matter with reference to the AufenthG with counselling center's advice. I will update this post when I further information.

Barbara__Community_Manager

Updated:

thank you @vindynos

vindynos

I responded to Auslanderamt firmly as stated above on July 21 and no response since then. Today I went to get an Fiktionbescheinigung but they refused to give me one, despite me asking them I need a legal doc to allow me to stay. In the meantime I consulted with Redcross, they reviewed my case and said either to leave DE or find an Immigration lawyer. I am not finding anyone to help my case yet. By end of tomorrow my legal stay ends. I am not sure what will happen now and I do not really know what to do anymore!

Barbara__Community_Manager

Updated:

Hallo @vindynos , I recommend contacting Café Exil as soon as possible — they may be able to help you find an immigration lawyer: https://www.cafe-exil.info/de/angebot/ Best wishes Barbara

vindynos

Updated:

Thanks for the thoughtful recommendation. However, the situation has been resolved.

Yesterday(on the last day of expiry), I managed to meet Sachgebeitleiter at the Auslanderamt and complained about my situation. He again brought up the same ALG1 benefits issue to process my chancenkarte application. After I showed the Gesetz that ALG1 is not Sozialhilfe, he considered it and went over my financial/jobsearch plan/ALG 1 benefit amount statuses again, told me to give me an update end of this week after another review.

Just got a call from Behorde that my Chancenkarte will be processed and all docs are in order. Tomorrow I should pick my Fiktion related to Chancenkarte.

It took some convincing, escalation, and a last-minute roller-coaster, but the issue seems to be resolved.

Thanks to @Barbara__Community_Manager and this community for quick support.

Barbara__Community_Manager

Hey @vindynos , I'm happy we could support you, and it's great to see you back on the forum with positive news :). Best wishes Barbara

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