This question is specific about applying for workpermit from India. Would appreciate if anyone who has done this before could help me.

I submitted my workpermit application at Bangalore VFS centre a week back. I was told that the passport will be posted back to me in 3
days. When I check the status online, if remains at "Your application has been submitted to German embassy" and I havent received my passport"

How long does it take for this status to change? Once the passport is sent back to VFS, does it mean that my application has been processed
successfully at German embassy, it meets the basic criteria and will be sent to Germany for further processing?

Thanks

Call them up and ask for the passport. It should get the passport back within a week and the status changed.

If it is not sucessfull, they will send a letter.

If the status shows
"Your application has been submitted to German embassy"
Then you should get a call or letter for Interview at the Embassy.Later you see the status changed to
"Collect your Passport from VFS or Passport delivered to your address"
You will only know if you got the Visa stamped or not when you receive the passport not online.

For work permit they will definitely call for an Interview.
Why you have to bother normally it is the employer in India who takes care of all this.

Thanks Sandeep.I am not going on a deputation through an Indian company. This is a direct employment in Germany. So I have to do all the work relating to this. Also I dont need an interview as I have two schenken visas in the last 2 years.

When I contacted the consulate they said they send the passport to VFS every Friday. Wondering why it did not come last Friday in my case. Will wait for next Friday.

Nirmal

@ Nirmal

>>Also I dont need an interview as I have two schenken visas in the last 2 years. >>

Is this a rule? I never hear about this rule and i do think that if you have 2 or more Schengen visas in past, then you are exempted from an interview.
Anyhow Good luck with the visa proces.

Please let us also know how this works.Never heard of someone getting a work permit directly from India like this.
You have applied for work visa which needs residence permit and not the 3 months Schengen or tourist Visa.For a tourist visa one don't need any interview if they already had a Schengen Visa.
If you got a job from an employer in Germany directly sitting in India in that case your employer needs to apply for a work permit from Germany.In your case it looks like you had a telephonic interview and the employer said ok you are appointed and send you a letter which you submitted to embassy with Schengen application form.
Again Schengen and Work permit are entirely different and with Schengen you cannot work.

@UMTS11: Yes, this is a rule. You could read about it at http://www.chennai.diplo.de/Vertretung/chennai/en/04/Visa__New/unterbereich__NationalResidencePermits.html
"In some cases frequent travellers (holder of at least two Schengen Visas issued in the last two years, at least one of these visas issued by any German Consulate or Embassy) may also submit their applications via an Application Center without scheduling an appointment or contact one of the registered Travel Agents"

Also my wife didnt need an interview as she is working for a reputed Germany company in India. This is not confirmed and VFS said they will revert back incase she needs an interview. Havent heard from them yet.

@Sandeep:
As you know, for India, you need a visa to enter Germany (whether it is for tourist visit(Schengen) or work (Residence permit). I am applying for a residence permit from India (not Schengen). There are basically 2 ways of doing this - Me initiating (called normal process below) or my potential employer initiating (called pre-approved process below).

(I am sure you know the steps below. Just wanted to confirm the steps at the same time)

Normal Process

Stage 1: The candidate makes an application for residence permit (which also provides access to the labour market) at the German embassy in the country where the candidate lives.

Stage 2: The Embassy passes the application to the immigration office (the Auslaenderbehoerde) in the place where the job is to take place for initial approval. The immigration office, in cooperation with the local employment office (the Arbeitsamt) that issues the permission, makes its decision.

Stage 3: If the candidate's application has been approved, the embassy provides an entry visa to the candidate (Type D Visa, valid for 90 days).

Stage 4: Upon arriving in Germany, the foreign national and any accompanying family members must apply for their work and residence permits at the local foreigners authority where they live (takes a days time).

Pre-approved Process

Stage 1: The employer in foreign country contacts the local Auslaenderbehoerde and makes an application to employ the candidate. The Auslaenderbehoerde, in co-operation with the local employment office (the Arbeitsamt) that issues the permission, makes its decision.

Stage 2: If the application has been approved, the Auslaenderbehoerde provides a consent letter

Stage 3: The candidate makes an application for residence permit together with the consent letter above, at the German embassy in the country where the candidate lives. The embassy immediately provides an entry visa to the candidate (Type D Visa, valid for 90 days).

Stage 4: Upon arriving in Germany, the foreign national and any accompanying family members must apply for their work and residence permits at the local foreigners authority where they live (takes a days time).

Normal process could take 1-3 months. The pre-approved process can get you the visa in 2 weeks. From what I understand, the pre-approved process is possible only if the employer has some good relations (prior experience) with the local Auslaenderbehoerde. Else they can reject the request and ask you to follow the "normal process".

I have taken path 1 above (normal process) as my employer has no prior experience.

Nirmal

Nirmal,
that means your passport has been sent to German embassy alogn with one set of your application.
If there is a interview or not , you will get the passport by post from the embassy or from the VFS(if its sent to VFS by the embassy which normally won't).

If you receive passprot frm VFS/consulate, it means that the application is under processing and the embassy will send a letter inviting you to come with passport when they are ready to issue the visa.
Thats because they think it might takes weeks before they issue visas and don't want to keep the passports ..
cheers

Then nothing to worry they will send you the passport either via courier or you may collect from VFS.
Thanks for the information about the Normal process,because most of us know the pre-approved process.
The only disadvantage is normal process takes 1-3 months and hope your employer is ready to wait so long.
As far as i know most good companies here get the pre-approved process only small companies go with the first process so be careful with the employer that they don't find an excuse because the job market is really bad here now so only after knowing the background of the employer resign from your Indian job.

Hi,

I have applied for work permit visa through one of the consultants in India having office in Germany too. First time i got rejected saying incomplete documents. I informed the same to my employer.

He told me that he has applied for my visa at Germany itself. The Lawyer has appealed for my visa in Germany and i don't have to go to Indian embassy in India for re-application as he has applied for me and once approved the letter of my approval would be sent to Indian office.

I want to know is there a way i can track my status or whom should i be contacting for more information.