Germany · Employment
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)
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Open. This is Germany's points-based job-search permit, introduced under the 2023-24 Skilled Immigration Act.
A points-based route into the EU's largest labour market that does not require a job offer up front is genuinely useful. But it is a stepping stone, not a destination. It buys you 12 months to convert into a real permit.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- Modest permit fees, plus proof of roughly EUR 1,091 a month in self-sufficiency for the search period
- Route type
- By employment
- Timeline
- 1–3 months (Grants a 12-month stay to look for work)
- Physical presence
- You need to be present in Germany to job-hunt. Part-time work of up to 20 hours a week is allowed.
- Family
- Family reunification is limited on this permit. It is a search visa, not a settlement route
- Permanent residency
- None directly. You need to convert to a Blue Card or a skilled worker permit, and the clock starts there.
- Citizenship
- None directly
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- A recognised foreign qualification, or 6 points under the criteria.Proof of financial self-sufficiency of roughly EUR 1,091 per month.Basic German (A1) or English (B2) in most cases.
What can go wrong
- This permit does not lead to settlement on its own, and time spent on it does not build toward one. You need to convert to another permit, or leave.
- You need 6 points across the criteria of qualification, experience, language, age and German ties, or a fully recognised qualification instead.
- You must show self-sufficiency of roughly EUR 1,091 a month, typically through a blocked account.
- Family reunification is limited here. That makes this route a poor fit if your first step is relocating the whole family.