Family immigration
If your relative in Germany has a valid residence permit, you can travel to Germany for the purpose of family reunification.
However, the possibilities are limited to the nuclear family, i.e. partners in a marriage or registered partnership and underage children.
Other family members, e.g. adult children and grandparents, can only join you as part of family reunification if the further separation of the family would cause exceptional hardship.
If your country of origin is outside the EU or EEA and you wish to join your relatives in Germany to live with them permanently, you must obtain a visa for the purpose of family reunification.
You apply for this at German embassies or consulates in your country of origin. You will then receive a residence permit for family reasons in Germany. This will determine whether you are entitled to take part in an integration course.
All persons who immigrate to Germany for family reasons have unrestricted access to the German training and labor market from the outset.
Family immigration for spouses
The following requirements must be met before you can move in with your spouse or partner in Germany:
- Your partner is at least 18 years old and has a residence permit in Germany. How long the partnership has existed and for how long or for what purpose the residence permit was issued can have an additional influence.
- Your partner has sufficient living space.
- Your partner is in a position to secure joint living expenses and health insurance cover for both of you. The needs of a family are based on the current standard rates of unemployment benefit II according to the Second Book of the German Social Code (SGBII).
- You must provide proof of basic German language skills before entering the country. Exceptions are possible if there is only a recognizably low need for integration due to your qualifications. Sometimes you can justify a case of hardship if language acquisition is demonstrably impossible.
- Language certificates can be waived if the stay is only temporary or if entry is visa-free due to nationality, even for longer stays. If you are a citizen of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand or the United States of America, you do not need to provide proof of language skills.
Family immigration for children
The following requirements must be met before your child can move to Germany to live with you:
- You have a residence permit in Germany.
- You have sufficient living space.
- You must be able to support yourself and your child. The needs of a family are based on the current standard rates of SGB II.
- The other parent with custody declares his or her consent.
- Your child must not have reached the age of 16 and must be unmarried.
Underage, unmarried children who have reached the age of 16 will only receive a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification if they can speak German or if they can be expected to integrate well.
Family immigration to children
You are entitled to join your underage and unmarried child until the child turns 18.
It is not sufficient to submit the application on time if the child has reached the age of majority by the time the decision on the visa entitlement is made.
The entitlement arises from the actual care and upbringing of the child and may in individual cases also be carried out by a custodian other than the parents.
Family immigration with EU Blue Card
If you have been issued a national visa and there is a prospect that you will receive the EU Blue Card in Germany, your family members may also be issued visas for the purpose of family reunification in individual cases.
However, your family members are not entitled to receive a visa and enter Germany at the same time as you. The application must be submitted personally to the German diplomatic mission abroad by the family members who are joining you.
If you already hold an EU Blue Card, your family members can join you regardless of the planned duration of your stay.
Relatives moving to Germany do not have to provide proof of German language skills in order to be able to apply for a residence permit for the first time after entering the country. This also applies to children up to the age of 18.
However, it cannot be ruled out that the Foreigners' Registration Office will determine an obligation to attend an integration course after entry.
Your family members have unrestricted access to the German training and labor market without a waiting period.
Family access to visiting scientists and researchers
If you wish to work as a visiting scholar or researcher in Germany, your spouse and children can enter the country with you.
Your family members can be exempted from the language proficiency requirements if they are not entitled to an integration course. As their stay is considered temporary, this is usually the case.
Your family members have unrestricted access to the German training and labor market without a waiting period.
Family migration to skilled workers
Skilled workers within the meaning of the Skilled Immigration Act are privileged when it comes to family immigration. In addition to family members in the narrow sense, a residence permit can also be issued to the parents of the skilled worker and their parents-in-law (provided the spouse is also permanently resident in Germany).
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