Opportunity Card - Advisory service
If you come from a non-EU country and want to move to Germany, you can do so as a job-seeker. This system has been in place since 2004 and considers people from anywhere in the world. This means you can move to Germany and you have 1 year to search for a job, after which you are allowed to stay in the country indefinitely.
If you have completed at least two years of vocational education, and you have German language skills or CEFR C1 English, then you can apply for an opportunity card. Your professional qualification must be recognized by the country in which you obtained it. You can qualify for the card if you can gain enough points, which are based on additional criteria. These criteria include:
- Work experience
- Age
- How closely linked you are to Germany
Once you have the opportunity card, you can take on trial work or part-time employment, and the government guarantees that it can be converted to a permanent residence for study or employment. In order to achieve this, former prohibitions related to changing your type of residence have been dropped.
Points-based system
You need 6 points to qualify these are the criteria according to German law:
- You have a professional qualification that must be adapted in order to be granted the license to practice in Germany: 4 points
- Good knowledge of the German language: 3 points, sufficient German language skills: 2 points
- At least three years of professional experience in the field of study: 3 points, two years of professional experience within the last 5 years: 2 points
- Up to 35 years of age: 2 points, up to 40 years of age: 1 point
- Residence in Germany for six months in the past five years: 1 point
- Supported by someone that has been resident in Germany for at least 5 years: 1 point