How to get a student visa for Germany

The same as PhD degree, the requirements for getting a scholarship are; finding a supervisor, having a strong academic CV, language proficiency, having published international article, recommendation letter, and age requirements. The process of obtaining a scholarship for a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Germany is more difficult and lasts longer than for a PhD degree. German scholarships are offered by the DAAD organization, and all German universities and educational institutions offer their scholarships to international students through this organization.

Here you can see a number of scholarships in Germany.

Studying at public German universities is almost free and the language of study is German, and you will pay less than € 500 in one academic year for university registration, insurance and ancillary fees. But in order to study at private universities you are required to pay tuition fees. The cost of studying at a private university varies depending on the field of study and the university you choose. On average, it can be said that you have to pay between 12 to 20 thousand Euros to study at a private university. At these private universities you can also study in English.

Students who are studying in Germany can work full-time for 120 days during the holidays between the semesters or work part-time for 240 days during the semester, and they will earn between 8 to 12 euros per hour as an income. This will help student a lot to cover some parts of the cost of living and studying in Germany. Of course, keep in mind that in the early months of your stay in Germany you may not be able to easily find a job, but in the following months as your language skills is improved and you become more familiar with the working and living conditions in Germany, you can find a job more easily. The amount of salary received by students may not cover all of their expenses, but it does cover some parts of the expenses. In addition to the student, his/her companions can also work in Germany. Companions are allowed to work full time in Germany.

One of the major concerns of applicants who want to get a German student visa is the possibility of bringing their companions with them to Germany. According to international law companion includes a spouse and minor children who can accompany the visa holder to the destination country. Applicants for a German student visa should know that in order to get a companion visa, they must first enter this country themselves, and after staying in this country for some time they can apply for a visa (German Family Reunion visa) for their companions. This process can take between 90 to 365 days to be completed. The important point in this regard is that in order to obtain a Family Reunion visa applicants must have an a1 German language certificate.

Germany has one of the best educational systems in the world and as a result the quality of education is high in its universities. In the following you can see the names and rankings of some of the German universities.

There are three types of visas for people who want to study in Germany, which are as follows.

• Language Course Visa

It’s for those who accepted onto a language preparatory course and lasts between three months and one year

• Student Applicant Visa

If you want to study in Germany, but you are still trying to find a suitable university or you have not yet received the confirmation of acceptance from your university.

• German student visa

which is for those who have been accepted onto a university course

The required documents for a German student visa doesn’t differ from the requirements in other Schengen countries, but it is recommended to fulfill each request meticulously to the last detail, as Germany is quite demanding on the issue. The German embassy in each country has an updated checklist of the Germany Visa requirements for each type of visa. The following documents are required to apply for a German visa.

• Application form

Properly completed with correct and honest answer that comply with the information in the other required documents.

• Acceptance confirmation

Which is issued by the university you got admitted to in Germany.

• Personal Statement

Your reasons for studying in Germany must be explained.

• Passport

According to the passport requirements of the German embassy, ​​with a validity of three months beyond your planned stays in the Schengen.

• Travel tickets

Including a flight ticket or flight reservation or documents that show you are planning to travel to Germany.

• Photo

Which have been taken within the last three months according to the standards set by the German Embassy.

• Health Insurance

A document confirming that you have obtained travel health insurance that covers illnesses and accidents and even death, which is also valid throughout the Schengen area and has a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros.

• Proof of Financial Means

It is a document that proves you have the amount of money to finance yourself during your planned stay in Germany. This can be a recent bank statement that shows you have enough funds to spend at least 45€ per day in Germany.

The applicant must apply for a residence permit to study in Germany within three months of arriving in Germany. The required documents are as follows:

• Passport (and visa if required)
• Registration confirmation
• Certificate of enrollment from a German university
• A health insurance certificate
• Passport photos according the standards set by German embassy.

This residence permit is issued after 4 to 6 weeks and is valid for one year and can be extended.

Due to the need for a skilled and educated workforce in Germany, university graduates from Germany are given priority to work in this country. Therefore, after completing their studies, these students can stay in Germany and look for a job, in order to do so they can extend their residence permit for up to 18 months to find work relating to their studies (they can apply for visa extension at the Foreigner’s Registration Office).

 The required documents to apply for a residence permit include the following.

• Passport
• Last University degree certificate
• Proof of sufficient financial means

After receiving a job offer from a German employer, the applicant will receive a German work visa, which in some cases will also lead to an EU Blue Card. In order to be eligible for the Blue Card, the applicant must meet certain prerequisites, such as:

• Be a non-EU citizen.
• Be educated or skilled/professional.
• Have an employment contract or job offer with a minimum annual salary of € 49,800. There are exceptions for scientists, mathematicians, engineers, physicians and IT professionals.
• Have a university degree from a German university.

Studying in Germany does not lead to getting a residence permit in this country, to get a residence permit you must first receive a job offer and get a work permit, and then start working in this country, after 5 years of living and working in Germany you can apply for a permanent residence permit and after 3 years of getting a permanent residence you can apply for German citizenship. The requirements for obtaining German citizenship are as follows.

• You must have lived in Germany for the required time (number of years).
• You must have no criminal record.
• You must prove German language proficiency of at least B1.
• You must show that you can support yourself financially.
• You must be a law-abiding citizen.