Hi,
Am new to the forum and tried to find a question similar to mine before posting but could not find any. I arrived in Germany in Dec 2011 and satisfy the requirements for Blue Card from Day1 (salary wise and qualification wise). But came to know about the Blue Card only recently. I also have a B1 language certificate. I have also applied for the recognition for the foreign Educational Certificates and am going to receive it soon. My question is: Can I apply for Blue Card now and ask for 'Niederlassungserlebnis' directly (as I have already stayed for more than 21 months till now)? Do I qualify to get the Niederlassungserlebnis directly now. If so how do I need to approach the Ausländerbehörde in my case.
Please suggest.  Thanks a lot in advance.

First of all the Blue Card was only introduced in August 2012, so you weren't eligible in Dec 2011.

Usually the officer will tell you when you renew the Aufenthaltstitel that you will receive a BC. You don't need to make a specific request/

There are two possibilities for NE:

- According to the rules, you can only apply for NE after 22 months with a BC and B1 certificate, so a pre-requisite is that you already have a BC

- You can get a NE if you stayed with a normal Aufenthaltstitel for 3-5 years paying all taxes and social security.

Since you qualify in none of these categories, I think the officer with decide your case. Best is to take an appointment and ask personally. They will tell you straightaway if you are eligible for NE or you need to wait.

My friend got Niederlassung based on Blue Card (19a) back in December 2012.
He directly apply for the Niederlassung and extra Blue Card application was not necessary.

They count his time from the day he was eligible for Blue Card it means his time even before the start dat of Blue Card (August 2012) was also taken into account.