If you have been living in Germany for several years, you will certainly want to know how to apply for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis). What exactly is a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)? It is a residence permit that is unlimited in time and space and gives you the opportunity to work anywhere you want in Germany. So imagine you get this unlimited residence permit from the Aliens Department and then you never have to go there again! Very tempting.

A very important point when applying for the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) is your knowledge of German. Depending on your profile (e.g. which residence permit, years worked in Germany, possibly German university degree, etc.) you have to fulfill different criteria for the settlement permit and also show different language levels. In most cases, however, these are either A1 GER or B1 GER. (By the way: CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which was elaborated in the 1990 years by the Council of Europe and which has been recommended by the Council of the European Union as a classification framework for language competence since 2001).

Level A1 is the first level and the easiest you can reach. With language skills at this level you can understand and use familiar, everyday expressions and very simple sentences. You can introduce yourself and others and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live, people you know and things you have. You can communicate in a simple way if the person you are talking to speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.

Language level B1 is quite good, here you speak German at an intermediate level. You can, for example, talk about experiences and events, describe dreams, hopes and goals and give short explanations and reasons for plans and opinions. In addition, you can cope with most situations that one encounters when travelling in the language area.

We will be happy to advise you on which language level you need to show for your application for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis). You can take the test and the preparation in our language school: we offer courses in our school and online via zoom. In order to receive your language certificate, you can either take an internal language test or a telc exam.

If you have any questions, we will be happy to help you: You can always contact Katharina kb@startcon.berlin and Julia jk@startcon.berlin!