Hi,
I am From Kazakhstan and I hold a long term Italian Student Visa which will end in end of October 2024. My studies are finished in Italy and I would like to apply for opportunity card in Germany.
with my visa, I can stay in Germany and in Schengen zone for a period of up to 90 days.
My question is that can I apply for the opportunity card from within Germany since I don't require a visa to enter?
It is mentioned in the Opportunity Card Website that I can do it through local immigration office. I just need to be sure. Also, Where can I find more information regarding my case? is there any email address of any hotline number I can call?
Also, my master diploma including my University and my degree has H+ status on Anabin Database and my profession is Not Regulated in Germany. Does that mean my educational documents are fully recognised in Germany?
Best regards
Hi Abc1 ,
first of all, congratulations on having finished your studies!
You are right that you are allowed to enter Germany and other Schengen countries for a period of up to 90 days. However, the general rule of thumb is as follows: this 90 days period is only for temporary visits. If you plan to stay in Germany long-term to work, etc., you need to apply for a long-term residence permit for a specific purpose at a German embassy at the place of your residence (in your case in Italy).
Considering that your current residence permit in Italy will expire in about 3 months, I would strongly advise you to apply for the opportunity card at the German embassy in Rome as soon as possible.
https://italien.diplo.de/it-de/service/visa-aktuell/-/2582732
In general, the validity of a student visa is connected to the duration of the study. I hope that you can still obtain a German visa with your current student visa, even though your study is already finished.
Here you can find more general information about opportunity card (Chancenkarte) including further requirements. https://handbookgermany.de/en/opportunity-card
https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/types/job-search-opportunity-card
About your qualification: If your degree is marked with H+ according to the Anabin database, it is fully recognised and thus qualifies you as a ‚skilled worker’ in Germany. For the application of opportunity card you will need a printout of the Anabin page with this result.
And about contacting immigration offices: The contact address and hotlines differ between immigration offices. For example the office in Berlin does not have a hotline and can currently only be contacted via an online form. You can check out the website of the local immigration office for the place you want to move to. Also, in general, the immigration offices in Germany are overloaded with inquiries so that it can take a long while until one receives a response.
Lastly, my colleague added a tip for increasing the chance of your application coming through is to save up as much as possible. You would need to prove that you can financially secure your living, in the case of Chancenkarte for 12 months. This is a huge sum of money and even though with Chancenkarte you can work up to 20 hours per week to finance yourself. You can check the website of the German embassy in Rome for more information about the proof of sufficient funds, I have included the link already above.
I hope this was helpful for you and let us know if you have any further questions.
Best wishes
Seoyoung