visa renewal and settlement permit
Hello handbookgermany team,
i have a question related to visa renwal & settlement permit.
My Visa Situation:
- I came to Germany in May 2017 as a PhD student (I don’t remember the visa type, but I had an Arbeitsvertrag as wissenschaftliche mitarbeiter and paid pension for three years).
- In November 2021, I started working full-time with a §18b skilled worker visa, which is valid until mid-November 2025, and I worked until September 2024 (I quit my PhD during this time), then took a break between October 2024 and Feb 2025.
- Since March 2025, I’ve been working full-time (40h/week) at my current company with unlimited contract.
I already applied for a settlement permit with required documents (e.g. residency proof, work contract, insurance proof, pension proof, einbürgerungstest - except the B1 language certificate, which I’m preparing for now).
My Question:
Since my current visa is valid until mid-November and I already applied for a settlement permit:
- Does my settlement permit application automatically keep my visa valid until a decision is made?
- Should I also apply for a skilled worker visa to renew my §18b visa to keep my right to live and work safe regardless of settlement permit application process?
- If I apply for the renewal of current work visa, could that be processed faster and affect my right to travel or work while waiting for the settlement permit?
thank you,
Hello @j_hih1 ,
your settlement permit application automatically keeps your visa valid until a decision is made.
You no longer need to apply for another residence permit.
If the immigration authorities conclude that you do not meet the requirements for a settlement permit, your current residence permit will be extended.
A separate application is no longer necessary.
If you have not received a decision by the time your residence permit expires, ask the relevant authority to issue a provisional residence permi ("Fiktionsbescheinigung").
I wish you all the best!