Hello,
I was born and live in Germany and got married recently. My wife lives in Afghanistan and I want to bring her to germany. She just got her passport made and I guess the next step is apply for a visa either in Islamabad or Tehran. I did my research and went through the posts on the forum and the waiting time currently is at least 12 up to 24 months. This is very upseting as you can imagine.
Another problem is that schools are prohibited to woman. I have read that you have advised people on here that they could try to learn online and try their luck in an embassy.
Are there any news regarding the language barrier?
And I wanted to also ask what my options are to get her to Germany as soon as possible?
Thank you in advance
Hi wahido, sure, there are a couple of sources I found.
In general, we have the information that for Afghans living in Afghanistan the official Association of Language Testers in Europe (ATLE) Certificate is not required. As the Goethe Institute is closed. But your wife is required to show that she has achieved A1 German level through other certificates and prove that she has made the effort to learn German. This could be for example through tandems, apps and online courses. If you have some German knowledge, you can also help your wife and teach her some German.
The following information can be read on the information page Afghanistan (See the Chapter about family reunification) https://handbookgermany.de/de/afghanistan-info?thema=familiennachzug#lc…
You can read the information also in Pashto and Dari
And on the refugee Council in Niedersachsen they also try and answer the question if your spouse needs a German A1 Certificate or not https://www.nds-fluerat.org/infomaterial/informationen-fuer-afghaninnen…
Unfortunately, this information is only in German. If I find any other sources, I will also post them here. The question about the German language skills also depends on your status. For example,
if you are a citizenship holder from another EU country your spouse do not have to proof any German level.
Regarding the waiting time, unfortunately, as you have read in the forum that some people have been waiting for almost 2 years or longer. This is the worst-case scenario, but the waiting time is at least 12months, I would assume. Depending on your status. It might be a bit faster if you have a German passport. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more about the waiting time.
But I would recommend also contacting the counseling center that I mentioned, maybe they have some more information regarding the waiting time.
I hope this reply was useful.
Best wishes
Yara