Hi Trust7ers,

I completed my Masters in Germany (2010 - 2012) and currently working in Germany for the past 18 months.

Now, my current job contract is not going to be renewed after its expiry (Contract ends in Feb 14).
My Visa also expires along with work contract.

When I enquired for visa extension (for Job search) in Ausländerbehörde; they informed me that it is not possible to extend Visa without new job contract and they asked me to fly back to India when it expires.

I am paying all taxes (including arbeitlos versicherung) to Germany. Currently, I am trying for new job before my visa expiry date (with only 3 months left). If not, then I am planning to go to India.

If I am returning to India, is it possible to claim some part of my paid taxes back from German government?
If yes, then please let me know the procedure and duration to claim taxes. (So far, no claim is made to German government from me).

Thanks in advance for your responses.


Regards,
Suresh

Dear Suresh,

sorry to hear about your situation. Kopf hoch!

First of all, being a graduate of German University you have the right for 3 months visa (Fiktionsbescheinigung) to search for a job, although the exact law is not known to me, perhaps some other members can throw some light on it. Since you also paid ALG Insurance for more than 12 months, you have the right to ALG-1 which should be 60-70% of your last drawn average salary of previous 12 months. I will advice you to immediately hire a lawyer who can handle both Aussländerbehörde and Arbeitsamt for you.

Re. taxes:
since you worked in 2012 and 2013, so coming January you can file for your tax returns, a decision is usually made between 4-8 weeks and tax benefits (if any) will be transferred to your given account with IBAN and BIC address.

Re: Pension contributions
If you decide to leave Germany, than after 2 years from the date of leaving Germany you can also claim your last 18 months of pension contributions.

regards, raj++