Advice for emigrating to Germany

Due to recent events, I'd like to write some basic advice for any of my American readers who might be considering moving to Germany. After all, the USA took in a lot of Germans when Germany went through dark and troubled times, so it's only fair if Germany returns the favor.

Here are the major options I am aware of.

Via citizenship in an EU country

If you have citizenship in an EU member nation - or Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein - you are in luck. You can visit Germany whenever you want for up to three months and then can stay if you have found a job or some means of supporting yourself - and being within Germany makes finding a job a lot easier.

Note that the UK still counts as an "EU member nation" for this purpose - Article 50, which is a prerequisite for the Brexit, has not been triggered yet, and even afterwards there will be a two year transition period where the UK will still be a member. What happens afterwards is less clear, but if you have established yourself in Germany until then there will likely be options for staying.

You might have heard that there are possibilities of gaining German citizenship if you have German ancestors. This option exists, but only in a very few specific cases - one of your ancestors must have been deprived of German citizenship during the Third Reich for "Political, Racial, or Religious reasons". If your ancestors emigrated before the 30th of January 1933 and the 9th of May 1945, you are out of luck.

As a student

This is one of the easier ways of getting in, and actually a great opportunity. For starters, no public German university currently charges any tuition fees - even to foreigners. Furthermore, many German universities actually offer English-language degrees and courses these days, so you don't even need to speak the language upon arrival - although I still strongly recommend learning it as quickly as possible once you get here, since it will make your life a lot easier.

As you are presumably not an EU citizen (otherwise you would have chosen the option above), you do need to demonstrate that you have adequate funds for your first year of studies on a locked bank account - currently, that amount is 8,640 Euros. You don't actually have to spend it all (though living expenses, especially rent, should not be underestimated), but you do need to demonstrate that you have it. Furthermore, as a non-EU student you are somewhat limited in your ability to work on the side - there is a maximum of "120 full or 240 half days per year" that you are allowed to work. Exceptions exists for student assistants working at universities, and if you have skills that are in particular demand you might also get an exception for other types of work, but you shouldn't count on it.

Your first stop for information relating to studying in Germany is the website of the DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service. Particular requirements applying to American students can be found here.

By finding a job in Germany

This is more tricky. While you can stay in Germany for up to three months on a tourist visa and look for a job, you need to leave after that and then apply for a job visa while back in the United States. Which requires that you have a job offer from an employer in Germany and that employer must vouch that they couldn't find an EU citizen who is as well qualified for the job as you are. This is a mere formality in some fields, but a lot trickier in others. As a general rule, people with skills that are highly sought after in the USA that are applicable elsewhere will have a much easier time. If you are a good software developer or a first-grade engineer there might be opportunities for you, but if you are an expert in American case law you are going to have problems. Look around on job boards like Monster or Stepstone for jobs with English-language job titles and do take note of the language proficiency requirements.

Universities and other research institutes might be some of the best opportunities, since they are used to having international employees and how to deal with their needs. And departments always need new PhD students - these are paid poorly, but at least in the STEM fields it's usually enough for one person to live on (as I know from personal experience). Just make sure that you get out of the universities in time, as long-term career perspectives there are dismal and staying there too long will make it more difficult to get an industry job (as I also know from personal experience).

Beyond that, if you are already working for a multinational corporation you might be able to get a transferral to Germany - it will certainly be easier than applying with a German company that doesn't know you.

By applying for asylum

Sorry, but no. Things would have to deteriorate a lot in the USA for any German authority to even consider granting an American citizen asylum, and this would also require German-American political relations to sour so badly that German authorities no longer care about the political fallout from such a decision. Put this option out of your mind and concentrate on one of the more realistic options outlined above.

Useful Links

• Toytown Germany: An English-language site for expatriates in Germany, with fairly large and active forums.
• Expatica: Another website for expatriate with its own Germany section.
• Expats in Germany Blog Directory: Read how other expatriates deal with life in Germany so that you know what you are getting into. Heck, even read these blogs even if you aren't considering moving to Germany - they are frequently enormously entertaining in their own right.

Any Questions or Comments?

Obviously, moving to another country is a huge topic, and this post is intended to give only the barest outline and a starting point for further discussions. Have any additional questions? Ask them in the comments, and I will try to answer them in future posts. Do you have your own experience with being an expatriate and/or living in Germany? Share your insights here as well.