u/Late_Street_1875

I’m trying to apply for an Austrian family reunification residence card (my husband is an Austrian citizen and I’m a Non-EU citizen), and I would really appreciate advice from anyone with similar experience

Any information about the any of the following points would be very helpful:

1. How long did it take you to receive a decision? I’ve heard that the waiting time can be quite long.

2. Is it possible to apply for a Visa D (family visit visa) first and then apply for the residence permit after arriving in Austria?

3. I might not have enough time to prepare for the A1 German exam. I will do my best, but if I cannot pass in time, would a bachelor’s degree taught in English be considered? I’ve also heard that some applicants can provide proof of attending A1 German courses, or that the embassy may conduct a German test/interview themselves. Does anyone have experience with this?

4. Most importantly, my situation is a little unusual: both my husband and I are students. When I apply, he will have only recently started working, so we can provide proof of his income and our rental contract, but he does not have significant savings, meaning we cannot provide a large savings account under his name.
   However, I personally have around €58,000 in savings. This money comes entirely from gifts and living support from my parents over many years. I can provide explanations and documents showing the source of the funds.
   Would this situation negatively affect my application? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thank you so much in advance for any advice 🙏

I’m wondering if there is anyone here who took the A1 exam for visa purposes. How long did it take you to get the Goethe A1 certificate?

English is not my first language, but I‘ve been using the language for the past 10 years, got 7.5 in IELTS. I have 20 days to prepare for the A1 exam, becuz it’s my summer break, so I don’t have any other commitments. I can basically study from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep every day, and I can also practise speaking with my husband, who is a native German speaker.

My only goal for now is to pass the A1 exam and get the certificate for my family reunification visa with my husband. I’m not trying to build a solid German foundation in just 20 days.

In this situation, do you think it’s realistic to achieve Goethe A1 within 20 days? Has anyone had a similar experience? Thx!! :))

This is going to be a bit of a long post, but I’d really appreciate hearing from married couples and people with more life experience, especially both men and women. I’d be genuinely grateful for any advice or perspectives you can share 🙏

I’m 22 years old. My husband and I are newly married, and we recently started talking about contraception.

He has a very negative view of vasectomy. He literally said that men who get vasectomies are ‘eunuchs’ or ‘femboys.’ His honor would never make him do such a thing. That really shocked me and hurt my feelings…

For some background, I’ve been taking Yasmin (a combined oral contraceptive pill) for about six years. I have a family history of blood clots, and the pill affects my mood/hormones quite badly. It has also caused my prolactin levels to become slightly elevated. Doctor advised me to stop it if it’s not necessary and look for other birth control options.

So I asked him a hypothetical question: “Once we’ve had all the children we want (probably when I’m around 30–35), how should we handle contraception? Because women are not advised to take Yasmin after 35 years old.” He said we’d use condoms or some other suitable method, like pullout, IUD or implant. The thing is, he has also told me before that he doesn’t like how condoms feel. My husband is my first and only man, so we’ve never actually used condoms together. I have no idea how it feels like. Some of my friends say their husbands also dislike them, so I can imagine what he means.

Another thing that really disappointed me was his attitude toward contraception in general. He told me that with his previous girlfriends, they always relied on the withdrawal method, and that it had “never failed.” He also said that because I have polycystic ovary syndrome so it’s harder for me to get pregnant, I don’t really need to worry. I told him I thought that was a very irresponsible way of looking at it. Just because withdrawal happened to work in the past doesn’t make it a reliable form of contraception. If an unintended pregnancy were to happen, I would be the one facing the physical consequences. Whether that meant going through an abortion or carrying a pregnancy to term, it would be my body and my health that would be affected the most. That’s why it hurts that he isn’t even willing to spend some time learning about contraception with me

He wants four children. I asked, “After we’ve had four children, would you ever consider getting a vasectomy?” He immediately said no. He told me that simply knowing he will no longer fertile would make him feel terrible. And ‘nobody gets to touch my balls’ and he also said ‘go find other men who wants to do this, definitely not me tho’

I told him I wasn’t trying to pressure or guilt him into anything. I just wanted him to understand where I was coming from. We should read some research papers and consult doctors, I just want you to understand this matter. And I personally find the idea of getting an IUD inserted very difficult to accept, and I don’t love the long-term hormonal effects of birth control pills on my body.

To be honest, I was never someone who felt strongly about having children. I could have been happy either way. But because he really wants children, I’ve spent a lot of time researching pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and contraception, and I’ve accepted that I’m willing to make many physical sacrifices to have children with him, stretch marks, loose abdominal skin, pelvic floor damage, vaginal tears, urinary leakage, and everything else that can come with pregnancy and birth. But he’s not really interested in women’s bodies and researching.

I told him that I wasn’t demanding he get a vasectomy. This is something that might not even happen for another ten years, if ever. I only wanted him to be open to learning about it and talking to a doctor together before dismissing it completely. His response was that we’d ask a doctor to find another contraceptive method for me, and if there really wasn’t a suitable option, he’d rather stop having sex altogether than get a vasectomy. This sentence really just hurt me so badly.

The way he dismissed the conversation and seemed completely unwilling to even learn about it. So I’d really appreciate hearing from men. Am I being unreasonable? Am I asking too much? How can I improve? I want my husband to feel safe and respected. I want to respect his boundaries and protect his peace but I also don’t want to hurt my body too much. If you were in his position, how would you think about this?

For men who were initially against vasectomy but later became open to it, what changed your mind?
Is there a respectful way to discuss this without making him feel attacked or pressured?

I believe it’s his body and his choice, just as mine is my body and my choice. I just wish he were willing to learn about all the options together instead of rejecting one immediately because of what it represents to him.

p.s.
We’ve argued about something similar before - whether he would be in the delivery room when I give birth. At first, he said no. He said he was afraid of seeing blood, hearing me scream in pain, feeling helpless, and thought he might faint or even be traumatized.

I told him I wasn’t asking him to do anything except stay by my side and hold my hand. After we talked, he eventually agreed. Later, though, he said he felt like I had been guilt-tripping him and wasn’t respecting his feelings. From my perspective, I wasn’t trying to pressure him, I was simply asking for emotional support while I was the one going through pregnancy and childbirth.

Has anyone recently gone through the HK Apostille process for a certified true copy of marriage certificate or CNCC 良民證?

I’ve already read the Judiciary website, but it doesn’t answer a couple of practical questions I still have. I’m hoping to hear from people who have actually completed the process:

a) Did you successfully apostille a **certified copy of your marriage certificate** issued by the Marriage Registry without notarizing it first?

b) If you apostilled a CNCC did it require notarization first?

I’d appreciate your firsthand experience!! Thank you!! 🫶🏻

Hi everyone! I’m trying to find my roommate and thought it’d be nice to get to know people before moving in
I’ll be staying on the 421 of Greenberg. If you’re on the same floor and don’t mind, feel free to say hi! I’d love to get to know you all
Everyone’s welcome to drop your building and floor in the comments too, maybe we’ll find our roommates or future neighbors 🫂