Germany: Student Visa and Family Reunification Rules to be Relaxed

New Rule

Impact

Student permit rule changes.

• Student permit holders will be able to work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year (up from 120 full days or 240 half days).
• Student permits will be initially valid for two years (up from one year).
• Student permit holders will generally be able to change their purpose of stay before they graduate. Currently, they can only change their purpose of stay in very limited exceptions.

These relaxed rules will help with graduate retention, which is a group of foreign nationals that is much needed in the current labor shortage in Germany.

Increased permanent residence options for spouses. The spouses of Skilled Worker permanent residents will now qualify for permanent residence if they:

• live in a marital partnership with the Skilled Worker permanent resident;
• have held a residence permit for at least three years;
• are employed for at least 20 hours per week; and
• meet integration requirements (notably, German language skills at a ‘B1’ level).

This new pathway is in addition to existing permanent residence pathways for the spouses of Skilled Worker permanent residents.

This policy change will help retain foreign nationals who have foreign spouses, to also help preserve talent and long-term foreign working residents in Germany during the labor shortage.

Family reunification rules relaxed.

• The parents of a principal applicant and their spouse (if the spouse resides in Germany) will be able to apply for a family reunification permit if the principal applicant was issued a qualifying permit type for the first time as of March 1, 2024 (including an EU Blue Card, Intracompany Transferee (ICT) Card, Mobile ICT Card, or Skilled Workers Permit).
• This requires the parents to maintain a secure livelihood and appropriate health insurance.
• This option automatically ends on December 31, 2028.
• Previously, foreign nationals could only obtain family reunification permits for their parents in case of an extraordinary hardship.

Eased family reunification rules should attract skilled workers to immigrate to Germany, which could help improve the labor shortage.