Hi All

After some extensive research into the various Visa's Germany offer, I'm left with more questions than I started.

A quick outline of my situation is as follows:
I'm looking to relocate to Germany so as to be with my Parter (German citizen). We have researched the various visas available and have considered marriage.

The problem is that for my profession I would require a Niederlassungserlaubnis from the beginning. I'm a commercial Pilot in Australia with the qualifications and experience to continue working as a Pilot in Germany, however, The airlines require an UNLIMITED right to live and work within the EU.

It's a catch 22 as the airlines will not consider my applications without such a work permit however, I would require a contract to achieve such a permit to begin with. To the best of our research we cannot find any documentation to suggest that a Pilot would fall under the category of "Skilled Worker"

As such it seems our "best" option would be to marry and have the wait period reduced to 3 years before receiving a settlement permit which would then allow me to work as a pilot. The problem with this is that 3 years outside the industry would make it very difficult to return, not to mention the financial burden.

As you can see, it is a reasonably individual case which may require the use of a lawyer at some point, but for the time being any tips or advice would be much appreciated!!

Thank you