r/chancenkarte

So my sister went to Germany and completed her masters there and some part of it was funded by my father, I wish to go there too. But my father is a type of person who breaks his promises like when he promised me to buy laptop after completing my 10th grade but bought it after 12th grade, but one thing I noticed is that he almost always gave me better facilities to me as compared to my sister and he usually gives more importance to education. So I asked him can you fund my German education he promised me that he will, but he is not showing me the proof that he has enough funds for it so I am confused whether to start learning German language or not because if I learn German and he doesn't or couldn't fulfill his promises then my time would be wasted which I could have used to develop tech skills

My logic to learn German language is that if I invest a lot of time learning German then I would force myself to go to Germany to justify my time spent on German

I am learning German language for free from dw learn german website and chatgpt , I am talking about blocked account funds to student visa

Hi everyone, hoping someone here has been through a similar situation or can share insights.

I'm in Berlin on a Chancenkarte that expires in about a month. Here's where I stand:

• Background in multimedia design and content moderation — over 4 years of professional experience
• Applied to many jobs in my field since arriving — got rejected from most, made it to 2 final interviews but was turned down due to German language level
• Currently enrolled in a German Integrationskurs at VHS to improve my language skills
• Registered with Agentur für Arbeit Pankow and actively job searching
• Tried to enroll in TK public insurance — was rejected because I have no active employment, so private insurance is my only option right now
• Unable to show another blocked account for financial proof

My question: What are my realistic options to extend the Chancenkarte under these circumstances?

Specifically curious about:

• Has anyone successfully extended the Chancenkarte without a job offer?
• What evidence of "active job search" did LEA Berlin accept?
• Does Integrationskurs enrollment help the case?
• Realistic timelines for booking an LEA appointment in Berlin right now?

I'm willing to take any job at this point warehouse, logistics, hospitality, delivery — just to stabilize my status while I keep building my German.

Would really appreciate any advice, personal stories, or pointers to resources 🙏

Has anyone had experience arriving in Germany with a Chancenkarte and successfully obtaining a residence permit through a job contract outside their original specialization?

Hi, i wanted to know if my bachelor's in english language and my Englishscore test (C1) + certificate from my company proving that i worked for 3 years in an only English speaking company enough?

Has anyone received the German Chancenkarte visa without work experience?

I meet all the requirements and I have full recognition of my diploma, so I applied under Option 1 (without points). However, I only have internships and no official work experience yet.

Did anyone get approved in a similar situation? How was your experience with the embassy and the visa process?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been considering applying for the Chancenkarte, but lately I’ve become very unsure and discouraged, so I wanted honest feedback from people already in Germany or going through the same process.

My profile:

- Bachelor degree in Logistics

- Degree recognized in Germany through ZAB (gleichwertig)

- B2 German (telc), also im actively learning technical words that I use daily in my work in German.

-2 years experience in warehouse/logistics management with operational tasks like packaging, receiving and dispatching goods, preparing pallets, etc

- Experience with ERP, inventory control, export preparation, loading/unloading trucks, etc.

- 2 months Internship related to logistics/transport in a top German logistics company branch in my home country.

My main concern is:

How realistic is it, for someone with my background to arrive in Germany and find warehouse/logistics work within a year?

I’m flexible regarding the job itself and willing to start with basic warehouse work or part time if necessary, then move toward full-time. I noticed that job listings require an Ausbildung or sometimes vergleichbar so idk how my current position holds up in the market.

I’m not expecting guarantees I just want realistic opinions from people who know the current situation.

Thanks a lot.

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask if anyone here has experienced converting from Chancenkarte to a work visa or EU Blue Card while the Chancenkarte is still valid.

For example, my Chancenkarte is valid from November 2025 until 2026, but I recently applied for a work visa conversion because my job start date is in August 2026.

From what I’ve been reading in other posts, many employers seem hesitant because of the long processing times at the ABH, often around 3–5 months. There’s also the risk that employers may rescind offers if the visa process takes too long.

I know some employers allow people on a Chancenkarte to start part-time (up to 20 hours/week) while waiting for approval, but that doesn’t always seem guaranteed. Since the Chancenkarte is still relatively new, some companies may simply choose another candidate instead.

To avoid this issue, I’m considering returning to my home country and processing the work visa conversion through the embassy there instead. In my experience, embassy processing was much faster for my Chancenkarte application (around 1 month).

My concern is whether an approved work visa or EU Blue Card would invalidate my currently active Chancenkarte. If that happens, I’m worried I could be denied re-entry to Germany before my job starts in August.

So my main question is:

Does a newly approved work visa automatically invalidate an active Chancenkarte, or can both remain valid until their respective start and end dates?

Thanks in advance!

pretty much the title. I want to use chancerkarte as a means to travel europe while staying in chemntiz as a base. cheap apartment and centrally connected to all other countries.

Questions to others already there on chancerkarte: Do the schengen countries honor it. will therre be any issue if i stay in spain for say 3 months

Hi everyone,

I opened a blocked account via Expatrio for the Chancenkarte and my bank account (UniCredit) has been set up. My visa was approved and my entry date started about 15 days ago, but I haven’t traveled to Germany yet (my visa is for 6 months). To be honest, as I follow the posts here and the situation in Germany, and compare it with my own qualifications (I am a lawyer and a humanitarian worker, I have B2 English and A1 German), I have concluded that I will not be able to find a job.

Due to these reasons, my plans have changed and I've decided to continue my job applications from home for now. I have two main questions regarding the blocked funds:

1. If I travel to Germany but stay for a very short time without registering an address (in case I can't find suitable accommodation for anmeldung) and then return home, how can I get my money back?
2. If I don’t enter Germany at all before my 6-month Opportunity Card expires, what happens to the funds? Will the money stay stuck there, or is there a specific refund process?

Many thanks in advance.

i only found one thread from last year sooo

i just learned about chancekarte last night lol and lost some sleep because of it. its such a big risk, but im considering trying it out, but i wanna hear storiesss tysm

Hey everyone,

I’m currently living in Essen on a Chancenkarte (§20a). I’m a Java Developer, but I’ve realized my German isn't strong enough yet to land a job in the local market.

My current visa expires in a few months, so I’m thinking about switching to a Language Learner Visa (§16f). I can meet the requirements for this (blocked account and intensive course), but I have two main questions:

1. Changing the visa here: Can I make this change while staying in Germany? I want to avoid going back home to re-apply. Has anyone successfully moved from a Chancenkarte to a Language Visa without leaving?
2. I tried emailing Welcome-Center@essen.de but they don't answer.The phone lines are extremely hard to get through—I can't get anyone to actually pick up.Does anyone know if this is the right email for visa switches, or is there a better way to actually get a response from them in Essen?

If you have any experience with the Essen office or have done a similar switch, I’d really appreciate your help!

Help?

Hi everyone,

Do we need to submit work experience letters from companies for Chancenkarte? Like for Australia PR we need the experience letters with responsibilities included in the letter (which is very hard to get), do we need the sane for Chancenkarte? Do we also need to take the IELTS to apply Chancenkarte? My degrees are in english

Did anyone had the experience of changing the date of entry to Germany AFTER submission and preliminary document check?

Chancenkarte biometric appointment on 30th April.

Through embassy delhi.

5th March application on CSP

No blocked account,

15th june intended date of travel.

I have submitted documents now wondering how much time they will take to make a decision.

Is there anyone with a recent biometric appointment to share their experience.

Timeline,

Document submitted,

Intended date of travel.

In 2026 what is the process? they mentioned each person should follow their individual checklist and bring the necessary docs but they haven't given anything , but right now in April or May 2026, what all docs did you guys take with you? And Im also unable to download the videx application, so there was no option to download, and now when I click print it doesnt show the application form just the screen? What did the recent applications look like, any insights would be really helpful. Mine is this week

Hi everyone,

​I’m in a bit of a time crunch and need some advice regarding the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) process at the German Embassy in New Delhi.

​My Timeline:

​Appointment: April 16th (Passport submitted).

​Document Requests: Received requests for my B.Tech degree and proof of "full-time/regular" study on April 27th. I fulfilled these immediately.

​Status Update: On April 30th, the CSP portal updated to "Your application has been decided by the German mission".

​The Dilemma:

It has been 13 days since the "Decision Made" status, but I haven't received a specific "Passport Ready for Collection" notification or email.

​Questions:

​Has anyone else seen their portal stay on "Decision Made" without a final collection prompt? Did you just go to the embassy?

​

​Do they usually allow you inside the embassy gate with just the "Decision Made" screenshot if you haven't received the final collection email?

​Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I am confused about visa sponsorship question in every job application.

Every company asks, "do you require visa sponsorship ?"

What should be the answer because i am on chancenkarte .