Would you trust this website?

[SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter]

Or not so much the website, but the service they're supposed to provide? I just would have thought lawyers would have a more professional looking site!

https://www.german-immigration-consultancy.com/

I'm absolutely lost trying to apply for the right to work in Germany. Does anyone on here know of a service they can recommend who'd hold my hand through it all?

Here’s a useful website. I arrived pre Brexit so already have everything.

www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/

Thank you. That certainly looks reassuringly professional! The trouble is I need 1-1 advice, which they specifically state they don't do.

Have you already got a job offer?

What sort of advice are you looking for?

No, it's a bit of a vicious circle because I need to get the right to work before I can apply for stuff, and it seems they only really want to give you a visa if you have a job lined up!!

My brain just feels scrambled by it. I'm a bit thick at the best of times and it all seems so complex! I think it'd be a lot simpler if I had a degree and a sort-after profession, something obvious like 'Doctor' or 'Web designer' or something. The fact is I'm a nanny, without a degree, just a 2 year childcare course and a lot of years of experience! It doesn't seem to come up on the list of professions they ask you to select from though, which isn't a great start! There are quite a lot of nanny roles available over there, specifically seeking English candidates, which is very tantalizing!

I'm also a trained maternity nurse so I wondered if that could be a way forward, if I were to apply for a freelance visa. Again though, it's not recognised as a profession!

This might sound a bit flippant, but I don't mean it to be. Join a relevant FB group would be my advice.

You don't need immigration lawyers for what must be a really common situation. Their will be a group for people in your situation, with plenty of relevant expertise and they'll probably have step by step guides to help you.

We're not in Germany, but we're had lots of help for both shorter term and long term visas from knowledgeable groups.

But you don’t have the right to work in Germany. The same as a German nanny doesn’t have the right to work in the UK as nanny isn’t a shortage occupation you can get a skilled worker visa for. Are there other visas you would be eligible for?

But if a German nanny wants to come here, and I want to go there, why can we not just do a straight swap?! Is there no sort of 'one in one out' system?

I don't think so, unless I go the freelance maternity nurse route. Again I don't understand what to do though.

I was born in Germany but we moved to England when I was a baby, and although my parents had been out there for 8 years they never applied for citizenship, so that doesn't help me at all does it?

Of course there’s not a ‘one in one out’ swap system. Really? You thought that would be a good idea?

Unless you are entitled to German citizenship then you won’t be able to live in Germany unless you have a visa. Your occupation won’t qualify you snd you don’t seem to want to look into another sort of visa such as a student visa.

You do know people can’t just up sticks and live and work in countries they fancy. Has the whole Brexit, anti-immigrant thing completely passed you by?

With the new rules, you have no right to work in Germany so you can’t just turn up and look for a job. if you can’t go with the degree route you need to have a job offer and the employer will also have to explain why the job can’t be done by someone from the EU. Irish people would be higher up the list than you.

I don’t know how old you are now but this may be a possibility.

The Old Law (For Children Born Before June 27, 2024)
Children born before June 27, 2024, are subject to the old law. This means:

One of the parents needed to have resided legally in Germany for at least eight years.
These children were generally required to choose between their German and parent's foreign citizenship between the ages of 18 and 23.

You might have better luck with a student visa and then get a part time job while studying.

You will need to get a work visa - you won't just be able to apply for one on spec as a nanny, you will need to gain an offer of employment from an employee willing to sponsor you for a visa. The info on this site might be a useful start: https://www.mayfairnannies.com/blog/navigating-the-world-of-nannying-in-europe-after-brexit-a-guide-from-mayfair-nannies/