Am I eligible for Permanent Residence in Germany after almost 7 years?
Hi everyone,
I’m an international student who came to Germany almost 7 years ago. I completed my master’s degree here, and during and after my studies I worked for around 2 years at an institute on a normal work visa (not Blue Card).
After that, I joined a company and worked there for 1 year. Later my salary increased and I became eligible for the EU Blue Card, which I have now held for about 1 year.
My German level is currently around A2 (officially A1 at the moment), and I’m studying toward B1. With all the layoffs and uncertainty recently, I’m getting worried about my long-term status in Germany and wanted to ask about permanent residence eligibility.
From what I understand:
- Blue Card holders can apply for permanent residence after 27 months with A1 German, or 21 months with B1 German.
- I am not yet eligible through the Blue Card route because I only had it for about 1 year.
- Some people told me that after 5 years of legal residence in Germany, you may qualify for permanent residence or even citizenship, and that study years may partially count.
Since I have been living legally in Germany for almost 7 years total, working and paying taxes for several years, I wanted to ask:
- Am I possibly eligible to apply for permanent residence already through another route?
- Does my study time count?
- Has anyone successfully received permanent residence without B1 German?
Another thing I’m worried about:
My passport expires next year, and my Blue Card also expires next year. With the new Blue Card salary thresholds increasing, I’m worried my salary may no longer qualify in the future.
If anyone has experience with a similar situation or knows the rules well, I would really appreciate your advice.
Thank you!