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March 17, 2020

Germany job seeker visa experience

By Karthik Surendran

My name is Karthik Surendran. I hail from kerala. I did my bachelors in computer science and have experience of 5 years working as a developer in Infosys. I would like to share my experience of applying for a job seeker visa to Germany. I am really happy that I came across Pingme Study Abroad as they helped me through the entire application process. I am highly satisfied and I did not had to worry about anything as they were very transparent. For applying the visa, I had submitted all the necessary documents mentioned in the checklist. I would highly recommend any one to have a look at it before starting the process. I had submitted documents like my educational certificates, CV, passport pictures, passport, completely filled application form, accommodation proof, and proof of travel insurance, cover letter, proof of financial means, and proof of personal status.

It is very important to have your CV up-to-date with all your previous work experiences and also a picture. As a proof of accommodation, I booked a hotel for a period of 3 weeks. It is not necessary to book a hotel/hostel for a period of 6 months. But sometimes they ask you to make a booking for 6 months. Only then, should you have to do it. Fortunately, you can book and show the proof without debiting money from your account as you can pay when you reach there. Cover letter is another strong document for supporting your application in my opinion. Because, it explains in detail your plan of action after reaching Germany to find a job and your plans if you could not find job in 6 months. Therefore, it is very important that you mention all these in detail in your cover letter.

I showed a balance of 4.5 lakhs in my bank account to support my living. You cannot show this amount as FD or mutual funds or anything like this. But, fortunately, it does not matter in which bank you are showing your balance.

I had also attached screenshots of applications I have send to companies in Germany. This is a strong proof showing that you have actually made a plan for finding a job. I would highly recommend any one to do this as this will also give you a clear idea of the job market as well. Whether you should have german proficiency or not is a big controversy in general. As I work in tech field, it is not necessary to have any german knowledge. But I would suggest to learn at least few basic phrases as it will make your journey smoother. But if you are from a non tech background. I would recommend to take some german classes. I had a2 level by the time I had applied. I had also provided certificates showing my knowledge.

Once you have all documents ready, you can book an appointment in the embassy. Now I will share my experience about the actual interview.

My interview was scheduled at 9 am. I was sent in immediately to the counter and handed over the demand drafts. After that I was given a token and was asked to wait for my turn. My actual interview started at 10. I was asked first to hand over all the documents in the order they had mentioned. Meanwhile they also asked general questions like what type of visa I am applying for, about my degree etc. was really lucky that my interviewer was an Indian male and he was asking politely to me. Because I could hear yelling at other counters as they get irritated very easily. After that he started asking about why I chose Germany, how I am planning to find a job there and what if I did not get it. I would like to give you a tip here. You have to say that you will come back to India and find another job if unsuccessful. Because this has worked 80% in my experience. He carefully went through all my documents and asked me questions here and there. But they were nothing scary. Anyone can manage it. My interview lasted for approximately 30 minutes and they told me that they will inform through e mail the decision within 4 weeks. Luckily, I heard from them in the 3rd week. It was really a moment of bliss in my life. From then on, I never had to look back.