hey Luke, i can't help with the specifics of Berlin, having only spent one week there. but i can fill you in a little about the work permit process based on my own research and experience.
> -how difficult is it to obtain work visas to germany? i've read some > differing opinions on this. some say you need a firm job offer from a > german company, etc. is this a lengthy process that i should start way > before hand, or something easier done from berlin? are you and/or your wife under 30? if you are, you're in luck - look up the German Working Holiday scheme. if you're not, then you're in for some good times and joyous fun, and you need to start dealing with things *now*. in fact, start it six months ago. i've heard stories of this process taking up to 18 months to complete. do not try to get a permit after arriving in Germany. immigration will consider it an insult to the system if you do this. generally it's very hard to get a work visa for anywhere in Europe, as companies must demonstrate that they couldn't find anyone as suitable as you anywhere in the entire EEC. then they are reluctant to go through the work permit process, since for employers it usually involves a stack of paperwork literally several inches thick. my experience is that were it not for my one year Working Holiday work-permit-free situation here in the Netherlands, i would not have been able to find a job at all, even in the very specific area where I am highly technically skilled (interactive installation programming). it is perhaps easier to be freelance (maybe), but still not easy. rules differ per country. in Belgium, for example, the Belgian Chamber-of-Commerce-ish body in the area you intend to live has to examine your application, including a pretty thorough business plan. in Portugal you need evidence of existing contracts grossing at least the Portuguese minimum wage, plus extra to cover your rent if you want to live in a nice city. in the Netherlands you don't need a work permit if you're doing IT work, you have a degree, and you earn above a certain threshold. in Germany it seems you can get a Green Card for highly skilled IT work (€50k+) which excludes you from needing a work permit - but you need the contract first. in any case, on a website somewhere there will be a legal document, in the form of a government-drafted Act or Law or Decree, all in legalese. you need to find this document. it will perhaps be secreted in the badly-organised depths of the website of an obscure German high commission (possibly Indian or Indonesian, or if you're lucky, Australian), or the German department of immigration, or similar; possibly, or possibly not, it will be available in English. even if it is in English they'll use words differently to what you're used to, and/or they'll be vague, and probably you'll find the most appropriate description of your situation fits neatly in the empty space between paragraphs 113.2.a and 113.2.b . oh! actually it looks like you're in (some amount of) luck. five minutes of Googling has told me that the German Immigration Department is part of the Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior) and has an English website at http://www.zuwanderung.de/english/index.html . in any case, you need to find a German immigration lawyer, and then ask them to help, because you won't get much help out of the German Immigration Dept, or any German Consulate or Embassy - that's not their job. anyone you talk at these places probably a) won't speak English and/or b) won't be able to help you and/or c) won't want to help you anyway. your immigration lawyer, on the other, will help you, but will want at least €500 for the privilege - perhaps up to €2000. so. it's hard. it doesn't seem to be impossible, because other people do it; but it's hard. good luck d -- damian stewart | +31 6 5902 5782 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] frey | live art with machines | http://www.frey.co.nz _______________________________________________ Ada_list mailing list [email protected] http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/
