I am not sure if this issue has been discussed on this forum. I shall be thankful if anyone can share their experiences and knowledge.

I have been living in Germany since March, 2003. I did my Master of Science till Jan, 2006 and has been working here as a permanent employee from May, 2006. Now that I have almost 2 years of working years and 3 years as student. I heard that after two years of working,I will get an unlimited work permit which means my work permit is not bound to the company i am working for. As of now my work permit is bound to the company im working for. Is it true? If so, what should I tell Aulanderbehörde to give me free work permit. If it is false, can anyone please let me know the exact rules and conditions to obtain the work permit.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
-Akbar

have you ever tried the search function?
Type BE or Beschaftigung and see if you get something.
http://www.info4alien.de/gesetze/beschverfv.htm#9

To make it short, after 2 years work or 3 years residence regardless of work, you're eligible for BE which gives you unlimited work permit for any company in any field.

@Akbar,

You are eligible for Beschäftigungserlaubnis. You will get an unrestricted work permit that allows you to work for any company within Germany. I also came in the same time and now I hold BE visa status.

Cheers,
hereshaik

Hello,

Could anyone kindly let me know if the eligibility for Beschäftigungserlaubnis has got anything to do with whether you have worked for one company over the last 2-3 yrs or have changed in between.

For my case, I had worked for one company for over 3 yrs in Germany, but had changed my company in Feb 2008. So I am only into my 4th month in this new company. Can I still qualify for Beschäftigungserlaubnis?

Also, I am not very clear on the difference between Beschäftigungserlaubnis and Arbeitserlaubnis. Could anyone please explain?

Thanks in advance.

@hereshaik

Are you allowed to work as a freelancer?(Since you've BE)

@sntnknd, I don't think that it matters.
You should qualify for BE.

Arbeitserlaubnis is issued only if you have a specific job offer and it is restricted in time and bound to a specific company.

BE is issued on your passport once, and allows you to work for any company for any duration and in any field without the need for a work permit. Free lancing is also allowed but you have to contact the foreigner's office first.

@AxEnNeSo

Thank you so much for your guidance. Just one point here, could you please let me know what should I need to do to apply for my BE?

In anyway, my present visa is getting expired in June and I had applied for an extension back in March. But unfortunately, it is still in process. Should I have to apply for this BE once my visa processing is done and the Ausländeramt invites me to their office? Could you kindly advice.

Thank you again.

Cheers.

I think that you will only need a letter from your current employer, and a photo but once you go there, they will let you know for sure.

You could have applied for BE back then, when you applied for an extension of your residence permit.

Now you'll have to wait till they contact you, or contact them yourself and ask if it can be processed at the same time.

Good luck.

@AxEnNeSo

Inspired by the discussion in this forum on BE, I had been to the Arbeitsamt this morning to make an enquiry on the status of my visa and also t check if I can apply for my BE now.

They told me that they HAVE already processed my case and have marked me to be eligible for BE. They added that my new visa should have a sentence as: "Jede Beschäftigung erlaubt" - which I think means that I can work for any company.

THANKS A LOT AxEnNeSo!

But they also mentioned that although I have an unlimited contract, my new visa is going to be for 2 yrs. And once I complete 5 yrs in Germany (due next year), I can then apply for Niederserlaubnis.

What I didn't understand is why 2 yrs? Do you have some idea?

Cheers.

You need 5 years to be eligible for NE. It is just the rules.

Just make sure that at the end of the next 2 years, you have a stable job! It complicates stuff otherwise.