This email - we are going full technical - that's this will be a long email.

A truly long email.

But it will add a lot of value.

And also why I am also sending this later in the day.

This is going to be a full deep dive in the German government's requirements for Permanent Residency in Germany - directly from German government's website.

For this I am taking Berlin as an example because the state to state regulations do not differ.

Why?

Because the laws for migration are decided in center and trickle down to the states.

So - first the screenshot from the Berlin state website:

Now what does it say:

1. Employment as a Skilled Professional for 3 or 2 Years

You have held a residence permit that allows employment as a skilled worker for at least 3 years. This includes residence permits under:

• §18a (for people with vocational training),
• §18b (for people with an academic degree),
• or §18d (for researchers or scientists).

If you successfully completed vocational training or a degree in Germany, the required period is reduced to 2 years.

Note: Time spent with a national visa also counts, if you were already working as a skilled professional during that period.

I am going to spend some more time at this point, because this is the point which most people get confused about. Let me break it down for you:

What this rule says (in simple terms):

If you want to get a permanent residence permit in Germany as a skilled professional, you need to:

• Have worked in Germany as a skilled professional for a certain number of years with the correct residence permit.

There are two time options:

1. 3 years – if you studied or trained outside Germany.
2. 2 years – if you studied or trained in Germany.

​

Also:
If you had a national visa (long-term visa) and you were already working as a skilled professional during that time, that time also counts.

Examples:

✅ Case 1: Master’s student (2 years of study in Germany)

1. You come to Germany on a student visa and complete your Master's in 2 years.
2. Then you get a job as a skilled worker (e.g., with a Blue Card or §18b permit).
3. After 2 years of working as a skilled worker, you can apply for permanent residency.
4. Why? Because you studied in Germany, so only 2 years of work are required.

✅ So: 2 years of study + 2 years of skilled work = Permanent residency possible

✅ Case 2: Bachelor’s student (3 years of study in Germany)

1. You study in Germany for 3 years.
2. After graduation, you start working as a skilled professional (again, with the right residence permit).
3. After 2 years of work, you can apply for permanent residency.
4. Why? Same reason — you studied in Germany, so only 2 years of skilled work are required.

✅ So: 3 years of study + 2 years of skilled work = Permanent residency possible

​

✅ Case 3: Skilled worker coming directly on an employment visa

1. Let’s say Ram is an IT professional from India.
2. He gets a job offer in Germany and applies for a German employment visa from India (e.g., Blue Card or a visa under §18a or §18b).
3. He comes to Germany with a national visa that allows him to work immediately as a skilled professional.

Now, what happens?

• Since Ram did NOT study or train in Germany, he needs to work as a skilled worker for 3 years to apply for permanent residency.
• His national visa time counts if he started working immediately after entering Germany.

✅ So:
​3 years of continuous work with the right residence permit = Ram can apply for permanent residency.

The main point:
If you completed your education in Germany, you only need 2 years of skilled work (not 3), and that work must be done with the correct type of residence permit (like §18a, §18b, or §18d).

And yes - it is possible to find a job from India itself also. It simply depends on how your profile is, what companies you are applying for and what stage - if you are applying for job listings available publicly on vacancy platforms like stepstone, indeed etc. - you are playing the job hunt game at 10/10 difficulty.

Working professionals who have been reading my emails since a long time know that the actual magic lies in the hidden job market.

Finding a job - when the listing is not even live.

And it's a big phenomenon in Germany!

That's not me saying it - Germany's largest career platform called 'Karrierebibel' has mentioned the following graph on their website:

​

Unsolicited applications, technical magazines, conferences, masterminds and field cohorts are where my clients found the most successes!

Not in job listing platforms / LinkedIn / Xing.

This is also the reason I offer a money back guarantee in my Germany jobs Placement program that I offer on BiG Academy.

Because it is actually doable and few have done it - i.e. finding jobs in Germany from India itself.

The same 5% people that the graph talks about - most waste their time on the job listing platforms.

Alright - now let's get to the next point of the screenshot.

2. You Are Still Employed as a Skilled Professional

Your current employment should still qualify as skilled professional work.

3. Pension Contributions

You have paid contributions to the German statutory pension insurance for at least 36 months.

Alternatively, payments to a private pension scheme or occupational pension system offering comparable benefits are also accepted.

If you completed vocational training or a degree in Germany, 24 months of contributions are sufficient.

4. Sufficient German Language Skills

You must have at least B1 level German according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Again - this is directly from the German government website. Also a reason why our A1-B1 online German course is the most popular bundle available online.

It is offered by somebody who knows how difficult German can be to learn as a foreigner himself - built together with a native German speaker.

People born with German as their mother tongue simply don't understand how it is actually to learn it as a foreigner (Hindi / English speaker) - that's why our German courses are so popular - it gives you the best of both worlds!

5. Secure Livelihood

You must be able to support yourself and your close family members (spouse/partner and children) without any public benefits (e.g., no Bürgergeld or social welfare from the Jobcenter or Sozialamt).

6. Health Insurance

You must have valid health insurance in Germany—either statutory or comparable private insurance.

Note: Foreign health insurance generally does not qualify.

7. No Criminal Record or Ongoing Investigations

Even financial penalties can prevent the issuance of a permanent permit. If you are under investigation, your application cannot be processed.

This is another massive reason I tell people to avoid indulging in 'unsocial' behavior like not paying off your bills etc. - because then your case goes to a debt collection agency and if you were to ever apply for a PR - it can cause big issues. Pay your bills, pay your fines, live as a

8. Basic Knowledge of German Legal and Social Order

This requirement is usually fulfilled if you:

• Successfully completed an integration or orientation course (e.g., “Living in Germany”),
• Earned a school or professional qualification in Germany, or
• Participated in at least one year of school or vocational training in Germany.

​

Now if you have to actually, put it in action, how would this look like if you already have B1 or B2 level proficiency.

If you don't have this level yet - push your plans further by 3 months for from complete beginner to B1 and 5 months for B2.

This timeline requires 40 hours of time invested in the German courses per week.

🎯 Goal: Get hired in Germany via unsolicited job applications

✅ March 2025 – Start preparation

• Research German companies in your field.
• Prepare a German-style CV and cover letter.
• Identify companies where your skills are a strong fit.
• Improve German language skills if needed (at least B1 for most jobs, B2 for better chances).
• Polish your LinkedIn and Xing profiles.

✅ April to July 2025 – Send unsolicited applications

• Start sending targeted applications directly to HR or team leads (minimum: 10–15 per week).
• Follow up on your applications after 7–10 days.
• Be prepared for initial rejections or no responses – this is normal in unsolicited outreach.
• Network via LinkedIn/Xing with professionals from your target companies.
• Start preparing for interviews (especially for video calls and technical questions).

📝 Expect your first real interviews to start around June or July 2025 if outreach is consistent.

✅ August to October 2025 – Interview rounds & offers

• This is the peak period where companies finalize interviews and issue offers.
• You might receive job offers by September–October.
• Once you get an offer, start visa preparation right away (gather documents, get notarizations, etc.).

✅ October to December 2025 – Visa processing

• Apply for a German employment visa (Blue Card or §18b visa).
• Depending on your country, visa processing can take 4–12 weeks.
• Prepare for relocation (accommodation, health insurance, translations of documents, etc.).

✅ January to March 2026 – Move to Germany and start work

• Realistically, you can expect to start your job in Q1 of 2026.
• You begin working in Germany with a proper employment residence permit.

Summary Timeline (Unsolicited Application Route):

Okay.

So that was everything I could gather together to put everything in one single place.

I hope this helps you get actually started on your plans of moving to Germany.

Because you wouldn't be here reading this - if that wasn't what you wanted to do.

Let's get started then?

Your biggest supporter,

Bharat

P.S.

I mentioned in my last email that on 06. April 2025 - I will send you an email in simple German which you will respond to without using Google translate or any other tool. This is to show you how far you can come simply in 2 weeks with our Faster German courses - starting with the A1 level.

I haven't forgotten about it - and I hope you haven't either and are using the course daily to progress further!