The journey
Eight steps, twelve to twenty-four months
The full path, with the real duration of each step — including those that do not depend on us.
The journey is the same for everyone, but its length varies considerably according to one main factor: your starting level of German. Someone beginning from zero should allow around two years. Someone with a solid B1 can arrive in Germany within twelve to fifteen months.
The steps are not all strictly sequential: qualification recognition and language training run in parallel, which saves several months.
Selection
It starts with a video call of roughly forty minutes. We talk about your training and your experience, but above all about your plan: why Germany, what you are leaving behind, what your family thinks of it. This is not an interrogation — it is the only way to find out whether this path genuinely suits you. A poorly prepared departure ends in a return after six months, and nobody gains from that.
Auswahl · 2 to 4 weeksQualification recognition
Your qualification must be recognised as equivalent by the authority of the German state where you will work. We assemble the file, arrange certified translations, and handle follow-up requests. In most cases the decision is a partial recognition combined with an adaptation measure — a supervised placement or a knowledge examination. We tell you this at the first interview rather than letting you expect automatic equivalence.
Anerkennung · 3 to 9 monthsGerman A1 to B2
This is the longest stage and the one that decides everything else. Eurofrika Academy takes you from wherever you are — often from zero — to B2 level, in evening or intensive classes. The telc examination is taken at an accredited centre: we teach, prepare, register and accompany, but we issue no certificate and nobody can guarantee you one. We register only candidates who are ready.
Sprachkurs · telc B2 · 8 to 14 monthsMeeting your employer
We present your file to institutions whose needs match your profile and the city where you want to live. The interview takes place by video. We prepare you properly: the recurring questions, the German way of speaking about oneself — more restrained than you are used to — and the negotiation of salary and hours. Once the employment contract is signed, your post is secured.
Vorstellungsgespräch · 3 to 8 weeksPre-approval
Your employer applies to the Federal Employment Agency for pre-approval of your hiring. Intermediaries in a hurry often skip this step; it is precisely what turns an uncertain visa procedure into a formality. We make it standard practice.
Vorabzustimmung · 2 to 6 weeksVisa
The consular file is assembled piece by piece, the embassy appointment booked as soon as a slot opens, and the interview prepared. Processing times vary considerably between countries and are partly outside our control — but every follow-up is documented, and you always know where your application stands.
Visumverfahren · 2 to 6 monthsArrival and settling in
Someone is waiting for you at the airport. Your accommodation is found before you leave, not after. In the days that follow: city registration, opening a bank account, health insurance enrolment, collecting your residence permit, a SIM card. It is these steps, ordinary for a German, that most discourage newcomers left to fend for themselves.
Ankunft · the first weekIntegration
In the first month you take an intensive medical German module: ward vocabulary, handovers, pain, dealing with families — none of which appears in a general language textbook. After that, regular check-ins for six months. If something goes wrong on the ward, you have someone to call who speaks your language and knows your employer.
Integration · six months
What lengthens and what shortens
What really drives the timeline
Three factors weigh more than all the others: your starting level of German, the German state handling the recognition, and the consulate processing your visa.
The first depends on you and the work you put in. The other two depend on neither you nor us — which is precisely why we make pre-approval standard practice, as it remains the only real lever on the duration of the consular procedure.
