powwow:
Hi all,
I am from Pakistan and I am married. I have an offer from a PhD program in Frankfurt. Since I am married, I would like my wife to accompany me to Germany or join me there. So I am considering different options:
1. Family Reunion Visa
I have read in this forum that it can be tricky to get a family reunion visa if one is on a student visa. My biggest concern here is about showing adequate funds to support my wife. Although I will be receiving a stipend but it will vary from semester to semester. On average I will be getting 1150 euros per month. So I am not sure whether this amount is sufficient.
2. Student Visa
My wife recently got an offer from a master's program. The program matches her interests and background in medicine and health sciences. So we are thinking that maybe she should apply for a student visa right now with me. Here we are concerned that our student visas might be refused since both husband and wife are applying to travel to Germany and that weakens our ties with Pakistan.
We are not clear on what to do in this situation. Any help would be great! Thank you.
Hi,
Case 1: You apply for your Student Visa and your wife as dependentYou need to convince the Visa officer that you have enough resources for atleast one year, for example
2 people x 800 euros = 1,600 x 12 months = 19,200 euros for the first year.
Considering you will be earning 1,150. euros per month, you still need to arrange the difference i.e.
450 x12 = 5,400.euros. If you can block this amount in a Bank account than depending on the visa officer you might get a positive reply from the embassy.
Case 2: Both of you apply independently for Student VisasFor your case its no issue. But for your wife's case you need to show enough resources for atleast one year and since its an independent application, in this case;
800 x 12 = 9,600. euros for one year.
If you can block this amount in a Bank account than surely your wife might get a positive reply from the embassy as well, again it depends on how visa officer reads your move to Germany. Suggestion:
First you should apply for your visa, come to Germany and start your PhD immediately. Wait till next semester and than ask your wife to apply for her student visa. In this way you will be able to prove that you have an apartment and you have regular earning. It is a painful wait, but chances of success are much higher.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Best regards,
Raj++
P.S: this is not a legal advice!