Comments on: The comeback kid.

By: more cowbell

more cowbell — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:02:12 +0000

Hey girl — I’m back, catching up, after falling out of the blogging world myself, so I could really relate to that part. I’ve barely posted at all, hardly read a thing, and when I did start posting, it’s all fluff and crap. I absolutely love your blog and your humor, and would be cyberly devastated if you ever really stopped.

I’m off to catch up on the rest … the layoff thing is making me really nervous.

By: Amerikanerin

Amerikanerin — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:21:58 +0000

Again: I successfully extended my residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) for one year while I was unemployed, not a student, and not married.

By: christina

christina — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:09:21 +0000

So good to see you back and sorry that things are still up in the are but it sounds like there is still hope.

And stopping blogging is not an option. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I think the residence thing is pretty much the same in all the German states and yeah, as Cliff says, Amerikanerin is confusing visas with residence permits. You most definitely need a residence permit to be allowed to stay in Germany for any length of time and if you have no reason to be here -work, trailing spouse/children, study or married to a German - they most likely won’t extend it.

christinas last blog post..we’ve got gas!

By: cliff1976

cliff1976 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:22:37 +0000

I don’t think that Americans need visas to live in Germany.

I think the terms are getting muddled here. Visas let you INTO (or occasionally OUT OF) a country. They don’t say “yeah, you can stay/work/get on unemployment here.” That’s what the residence/work permits are for.

cliff1976s last blog post..Zwei Tage im Frankfurter Raum

By: Amerikanerin

Amerikanerin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:15:43 +0000

I don’t think that Americans need visas to live in Germany. At least, I’ve been living here almost 4 years without one (and to the best of my knowledge, legally). I came to Germany for academic work, which has a nice loophole — my income was technically a “Stipendium”, and my position didn’t require a work permit.

I did, of course, register (anmelden) my address and obtain a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis — two pink pages in my passport, and two more each time it’s renewed). I’ve renewed the Aufenthaltserlaubnis twice — and for the most recent renewal, I was *unemployed*.

To get a new residence permit while unemployed, I had to show a recent bank statement, with enough euros in my account to live on during the renewal period (one year), and I also had to show proof of health insurance. It might have helped that I’ve learned pretty fluent German.

There are a couple of lines on my current Aufenthaltserlaubnis that state that if I even *apply* for any sort of social help, then my residence permit is null and void. So I guess that could be a problem if you (or your husband) are eligible for any unemployment benefits.

Still, I doubt that you’re in any eminent danger of being deported. I don’t have a German visa, and never did. And to the best of my knowledge, I’ve been doing everything quite legally here.

By: disenchanted

disenchanted — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:24:36 +0000

What would I do for entertainment if you quit blogging????

disenchanteds last blog post..Not Much

By: kat

kat — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:55:52 +0000

It would be nice to get to try out some new places, sometimes that’s hard with kids in tow though. Glad you are back to writing, you were missed!

kats last blog post..Leaving on a jet plane

By: ian in hamburg

ian in hamburg — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:52:29 +0000

Ack! Don’t quit. You would leave a hole where I slot writers worth reading. Doesn’t matter how often. It’s how well.

I’d jump at the chance to work in Vietnam. What a great posting that would be.

ian in hamburgs last blog post..A few bloggers I’d like to meet, but maybe not in the sauna.

By: Christina G

Christina G — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:04:22 +0000

Thanks for the update. I hope all those things still up in the air sort themselves out properly. We may be getting our own news this week, or this month, or at the end of this year… you know how efficient German bureaucracy is.

Christina Gs last blog post..Meet me in Stuttgart

By: Hexe

Hexe — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:17:04 +0000

Good to hear that you are hangin in. I’d start stock-piling chocolate and booze NOW! Had a visit with my in laws last weekend and my husband has had two days of migraines. And they’re his friggin’ family! Obviously, I forgot to follow my own advice about the booze and chocolate.