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Permanent Residence in Germany

The German Settlement Permit is an authorization for foreigners to live, work, and can bring family members under some conditions. The International students/ immigrants who have lived legally for many years and are now applying for a German Settlement Permit can follow certain procedures to get German PR. The duration of eight years is mandatory with a settlement permit to acquire Naturalization.

German Settlement Permit for International Graduate of German Universities:

The student who has completed his/her graduate from a German university and spent two years at least as a skilled full employee can apply PR for Germany. Initially, you will be eligible for a German Settlement Permit after your graduation and the status of the university or institute should be state-approved or equivalent, to make the process easy. Furthermore, the employee must have relevance to your academic qualification received in Germany. After graduation you have to fall under any categories to be eligible for Permanent Residency, for example; Residence permit for work, self-employment, or EU Blue Card. Pension insurance another important factor in your PR process. Throughout your working time, you have paid your pension insurance and now you have to maintain a clear criminal record for further process.

German Immigration Lawyer:

As a foreigner, you have to consult with any Expert German Immigration Lawyer when you want to apply for permanent residence in Germany. The lawyer will prepare an application on your behalf and for that, you will find many experienced law teams who have helped from all over the world and also advise on any immigration law issues. Mainly Schulun and Eleven Rechtsanwalte are prominent ones.

Requirements to Apply:

As an international student, you need several documents required to apply for PR for Germany. You have to attach photocopies with the original documents. Underneath we have mentioned the list of the required documents to apply for a German Settlement Permit as a foreign graduate.

  • Application Form with complete information-You have to submit your form at “ANTRAG AUF ERTEILUNG DER NIEDERLASSUNGSERLAUBNIS”.
  • Passport holding a valid residence permit.
  • Biometric Picture
  • Transcript –Specially the one you received from German University
  • A recognized German Higher education provider, responsible to issue this degree
  • Academic title-Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. or Diploma
  • Employment Proof for the past two years
  • Contract Nature
  • Proof of paid pension insurance-must cover two years period
  • Proof of previous freelance work (if valid)
  • Health cover evidence
  • Evidence of accommodation and registration
  • Contract with honor-rental evidence
  • Letter for the address registration ”MELDEBESTATIGUNG”
  • Professional license
  • German language proof
  • Declaration of any social security benefit
  • The current employment contract
  • Salary receipt
  • The salary receipt covers a six-month money record
  • Bank Statement
  • Salary slip
  • Certificate of employment
  • If you have owned your own business, the conditions are different to apply for Permanent Residency. Below you can find the requirements list to get prepared yourself.

  • Audit Report- You need a certificate, issued by a professional tax consultant-means certified public accountant or an authorized person after he had done an audit to your account
  • Tax notice
  • Workplace related cost
  • Rental evidence- Detail of monthly rent should be mentioned in it
  • Acquisition Agreement- For an owned property

Note: The above-mentioned list gives you a general idea of the documents but sometimes you may require more documents to get PR as it varies from case to case.

How to submit your settlement permit application?

The local Foreigner Registration Office is responsible to look after German Settlement Permit affairs. You have to contact them and take individual counseling for your application but first, you need to fulfill the eligibility criteria for the German Settlement Permit. The Registration office handling different departments, depending on your nationality and they provide all information required for a smooth process.


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