Ask HN: What's your experience getting a German work visa?
A few years ago, I signed a contract withA a German company and proceeded to request a work visa. The visa was denied on the grounds that I did not have a college degree at the time. My salary was going to be >55k and I was told that, as a programmer, I wouldn't need a degree and would be fast tracked.
Fast forward a few years, I got my degree and accepted another job with a >65k salary. Again, I requested the work visa. Again, it was rejected. This time on the grounds that I didn't submit proof that I was at B1 level in... English. Yes, that's right. English. I don't know if I have the energy to appeal this nonsense.
What's been your experience getting a work visa for Germany? In my company (a big one) we have devs from 58 countries including Pakistan, China and so on. I never heard of problems. What is your origin country? Why do they want B1? This is something you usually only need for permanent work permit. 2 Years should go without and then it's usually easy to prolong. South America. Why they want B1 in English? Good question. Why they didn't ask for that in any documents and/or while the papers were being submitted? Another good question. I feel like I'm trapped in Kafka's The Castle story. With the amount of remote work available pos-covid, I don't think I have the energy to appeal any of this. I hope this is not the experience for most IT workers that want to work in Germany.