You can obtain a residence permit to seek employment as a skilled worker if you have a university degree. If you do not have a German university degree, your degree must either be recognized or comparable to a German university degree. You can have your degree recognized or its equivalence determined even before you enter Germany (see further information).

If you are already residing in Germany, you can obtain a residence permit for job seeking if you previously held a residence permit for employment or a residence permit for the purpose of an EU study-related internship.

If you wish to work in a regulated profession, the required license to practice must already have been granted or promised at the time the residence permit for job seeking is issued.

Regulated professions are professional activities whose entry into or practice is subject to the possession of certain professional qualifications under legal or administrative regulations. Professions regulated in Germany include, for example, physician, nurse, attorney, teacher, early childhood educator, or engineer.

With the residence permit for job seeking, you may engage in trial employment—for which your qualifications qualify you—for up to ten hours per week.

The residence permit is issued for up to six months.