I have been following several discussions relating to German visa here, and would like to thank the experts on this forum for the detailed explanations and information regarding various visa related issues.

I have a couple of questions to which I will be very grateful to recieve any information/suggestions/pointers.

I hold and Indian passport and have been living and working in Germany since September 2000 on an Aufenthaltserlaubnis. My current employment contract runs out in December. I would like to stay back in Germany to look for a new job. To what status can I upgrade my current visa to? And what are the documents I would require to do the same?

Thanks in advance for all the help.

Were you really living in another world so far?? Why did u wait till the last moment to find something like this

You can get NE(Permanent Residence) if you have worked for 5 years. Contact the Foreign office in your town for the details and do it fast!!!. With luck you can get it before your contract gets over.

You will be eligible for Arbeitslos geld for atleast a period of 1 year if you dont have a job and you can search for a new job in this period. Better start looking for one now if your contract is not goin to be extended.

Thanks a lot for the prompt reply, Raj. I have been dealing with a lot of really unhelpful people at my auslandsamt here. It has been frustrating.

Could you please specify what documents I might need to take with me when I go to apply for a NE? Also, do you have any idea about how long the NE procedure takes to come through?

http://trust7faq.wik.is/Visa/Niederlassungserlaubnis_(Permanent_Residence)

Dear Smita,

If I may suggest, considering you have completed 85 months in Germany on a work-visa, you are fully qualified for german citizenship, all you need is to complete the integration course. Spend some time to search the forum for more info on integration course.

I am working in OPEL and I want to apply for extension of my visa in ruesselsheim , can anyone help me with the visa office address and phone no.??

@ Akshay and Raj.

Thanks a lot to both of you for all the information. I was at my Auslandsamt with all the required documents today. But they turned down my application stating that I need to show atleast 6 months of employment contract left on the date of application for Neiderlassungserlaubnis (My employment contract ends on 31st Dec, 2007). Is this true? I saw no such clause on the link that Raj kindly provided: http://trust7faq.w...(Permanent_Residence)

Additionally, I know that I am also eligible for a Niederlassungserlaubnis - Daueraufenthalt EG. Has anyone applied for it and got it yet? Does one have to fill any additional/separate application for this? How early prior to the expiry of current Aufenthaltserlaubnis must one apply for a Niederlassungserlaubnis - Daueraufenthalt EG?

I am totally bummed out and angry at myself for not having acquainted myself with all these rules and my visa rights well in time. But thanks a lot, all the same, for all your help in this matter.

@Smita

Well, i said if you are lucky you could have got it and seems that the Foreign office strictly followed the rules. You can do nothing but look for a new job or try to get the present contract extended by atleast one year.

NE will not be given when you are in probezeit with a new job. So you will have to wait 6 months in your new job before getting your NE. When you get NE you can also get the Niederlassungserlaubnis - Daueraufenthalt EG.
Eligibility criteria are almost the same.

But you get caught out in the Work contract thing. Both need "secure life", meaning you are not in either probation or limited contract which expires in a few months.

Hurry and find a job. You have atleast 6 months now to search for a job(3 months in present job + 3 months atleast in Arbeitslos)

@Smita

At least get BE or EG stamped on your passport, which would help you to find a new job soon. With BE/EG, you or your next employer need not worry about work-permit.

Actually, it is very very stupid of you, you are on the verge of getting kicked out of Germany when you should have been holding a german passport today.

If you have contract running till December and you have legal right for ALG1 you may be still eligible for NE ALG1 can be considered as gesichicherung des lebensunterhaltes:

http://www.info4alien.de/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1187362152

That's what I got when asked this question at info4alien and my situation is significantly worse than yours. The replies are in German but I believe you'll understand. You may have to contact the lawyer to set up a right application with written Antrag. Good luck I think it worth a shot.

I have recieved the expected year-long prologation for my job. I am applying for NE-EG now. Is it still not clear how long this takes? I was told at my Auslandsamt (in Köln) that they did not have the required stamps/stickers for NE-EG yet.
Also, for NE-EG I have been asked to submit a Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung acquired form the finanzamt. Nobody at my work place really knows why I need this or where I should go to get one. Could anyone here give me some information?

As always, many thanks in advance.

>>I have recieved the expected year-long prologation for my job.

Congrads

>> I am applying for NE-EG now. Is it still not clear how long this takes?

In Frankfurt it takes 3 months, maybe same period of time in big cities.

>>I was told at my Auslandsamt (in Köln) that they did not have the required stamps/stickers for NE-EG yet.

Wait for it and ask once a month if necessary.

>>Also, for NE-EG I have been asked to submit a Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung acquired form the finanzamt. Nobody at my work place really knows why I need this or where I should go to get one. Could anyone here give me some information?

I dont know what it is and why they need it but The answer is in your question itself. Go to Finanzamt and ask for it