Hello all,

Just found your site. What a great tool. I'm an American citizen that is married to a Polish citizen. Does her EU citizenship help at all? I know that there is a waiting period for new EU countries that requires them to still apply for an Arbeitserlaubnis, but does her EU status help at all?

What is your experience regarding the approval rate of applications for work approval? If I can supply written proof of a work contract/job offer is a work permit pretty much automatic.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

Well....Mr.Tyson you certainly dont need an Arbeitserlaubnis in Poland :-)

For Germany you and your wife would both need an Arbeitserlaubnis to work. Here is the law,

Aufenthaltsgesetz
§ 39 (6)
The Federal Employment Agency may permit nationals of those states which have acceded to the European Union in accordance with the treaty of 16 April 2003 on the accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Slovakia to the European Union (Federal Law Gazette 2003 II, p. 1408) to take up employment which requires a vocational qualification subject to the conditions stipulated in sub-section 2, insofar as provisions which diverge from the statutory provisions of the European Community apply under the said treaty. Such nationals are to be granted priority over nationals of third countries who enter the Federal territory for the purpose of employment.