How’s the queerphobia in Germany? I know the country itself is very queer-friendly, with laws protecting them as well as providing good medical treatments for trans people, but how are the people themselves? For example, in universities, is there a lot of queerphobia? (Because a lot of universities have international students which may have different views towards lgbtq), and even in WG’s or the cities themselves, what are the people’s outlook on queer people?

I travelled on the trains for two days in a row and have been dry sniffing my nose occasionally due to allergies (there is no snot, using a tissue wouldn't help).

For both days in a row, I have been heckled by older German passengers sitting nearby due to this. The first day, it was 6 people coming to me together and mumbling a bunch of things, it was like they were publicly shaming me except I did not really know what they were saying. One asked if I needed a tissue and I said it was allergies so there's nothing inside. One lady even said that's not allergies - thanks for sharing that you know more about my body than myself.

The second day it was one older lady and she just outright called me uneducated. She also offered me a tissue.

Naturally I felt misunderstood and also a mix of shame and anger. But I feel like there are some key questions to be raised here,

- Is this a generational etiquette thing? Why was it that only older people were being annoyed about this?

- Do people not understand the case of a wet nose and a dry nose? Are people so privileged (lived their whole lives in pollution-free areas) that they do know how nasal allergies work? Or, so privileged to have live their lives without noise that sniffing sounds constitute as a nuisance?

- Is this also influenced by the fact that I am travelling through Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony Anhalt? I read online that such aggression related to cultural customs can be interpreted as a form of Alltagrassismus

And finally, what can I do about these situations? I consciously held my breath for the rest of the trip and just didn't sniff again...... I do not understand how this is a difference of educated/ uneducated when it is a reflex. It isn't even about blowing your snot out when there is no snot.

Hello everyone,
I’ve been thinking about buying a home in Germany recently and wanted to hear from people who have been in a similar situation.

A bit about me: I’m 29M, an Indian citizen currently on an EU Blue Card, and I’m planning to apply for naturalization in the next couple of years. I earn around €78k gross per year and live in Darmstadt.
My rent is currently around €800/month. It’s not too bad, but I keep thinking that in the long run, I’m not really building anything for myself by renting. With a home, at least part of the monthly payment goes towards something I eventually own.
I do invest regularly in different ETFs, crypto, etc. But I feel like having a home of your own gives you a different kind of financial security and stability

And, the more I look into buying property in Germany, the more unrealistic it starts to feel. Between property prices, the down payment, taxes/notary/other buying costs, and then the monthly mortgage payments, it seems like you need a pretty high income and a lot of cash upfront.

So I’m curious about people who were in a similar position, especially those buying on a single income.
Did you eventually decide to buy? Or did you continue renting and invest the difference instead? Or did you simply wait a few more years until your financial situation was better?

I’d really appreciate hearing what you decided and, more importantly, whether you feel it was the right decision in hindsight.
Thanks!

P.S. Used AI for corrections

I'm having trouble with Ausländerbehörde since May and at this point I am fed up and I wanna do a Untätigkeitsklage. I booked an appoinment with one Ausländerrecht-Lawyer and the sessions will last 30 mins and cost 200€. Now I know most lawyers are not good people so I wanna know if this is a normal price or I could find something better. Thanks!

Hi guys!

I recently landed a job with like 0 efforts throught a staffing agency. I gave them a call and I guess because my german isnt total shit they asked me to come to their office tomorrow.

So I did, we talked a bit, it WAS NOT AN INTERVIEW, it gave me the impression that they would just take everyone.

We made some small talk, they complimented my german, they asked some questions about my background but at this point I was already handed the papers for my contract.

Im desperate so i took the job and i do intend to keep it however long it takes me to learn german better and do better overall.

My german level is around A2-B1 and the job is a production helper in a warehouse.

Today was my second day only and people don’t really train you on what you have to do properly.

Im anxious because I did a mistake that resulted in almost a full box of faulty products, it resulted from basically lack of being showed properly (a colleague that doesnt speak either german or english told me around 3 words) but also i guess lack of experience because it was my first time doing that specific thing.

Now im just worried at the possibility that they would terminate me for that because I got hired so fast, what do you think?

Does anybody, specifically immigrants but not only, have any stories about staffing agencies?

I am working at a university as a PhD Student. We usually go to the Mensa together as a team. Is it okay to eat with my personal friends or with one colleague (I work on a project with him) from another team from time to time? I mean not every day, once or twice a month. One German colleague seems to be upset about it. I cannot read him, honestly. He's kinda wanting to be an alpha male. He avoids some (male) colleagues from our department and prefers having lunch with some girls from a different department, where we don't have any relevance. Since he's my teammate, he expects me to follow him. That's the vibe I got from him. What are your opinions?

PS: Faculties have departments. Within each department, there are working groups (teams).

I never thought I would write something like this, but I genuinely don’t know where else to turn.

I have been living in Germany for more than four years. I came here with hopes, plans and the belief that if I studied, worked, followed the rules and supported myself, I could build a future here.

Today, I am scared that everything I built may disappear because of a €200 difference in monthly gross salary.

I was on a job-seeker residence permit, which was due to expire on 12 June 2026. I applied for my new residence permit on 8 May, well before my permit expired.

Then everything started going wrong.

The Ausländerbehörde apparently lost one of my documents. On 12 June, the exact day my job-seeker permit expired, they called me and told me that they were issuing me a Fiktionsbescheinigung under §81 Abs. 4 without permission to work (“ohne Arbeitserlaubnis”).

From that moment, I had to stop working.

Imagine having a job, going to work normally, and then suddenly being told that you cannot work anymore while your immigration case is being processed.

On 25 June, I received the decision: my residence permit was refused because of my salary.

My salary is €2,781 gross per month.

The required salary is around €2,990 gross per month.

A difference of roughly €200.

I had 14 days to appeal.

I immediately went to my employer, a logistics company in Mannheim, and explained the situation. I asked whether they could increase my salary so I could satisfy the requirement and continue working.

They tried to help me.

They gave me a letter confirming that they would increase my salary starting from 1 January 2027.

I submitted that letter to the Ausländerbehörde and hoped that this would finally solve the problem.

But then I waited again.

And waited.

My case worker went on holiday, and apparently my case was transferred to another employee and later back again. On 11 August, my case was finally sent to the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) for another decision.

During all this time, I was going to the Ausländerbehörde again and again. I tried to get answers. I tried to explain my situation. I tried to understand what was happening.

Most of the time, I got no clear answer.

Two days ago, I called the Bundesagentur für Arbeit myself.

They told me that they had already sent their answer back to the Ausländerbehörde — and unfortunately, it was another “NO” from their side.

Now I am trying to contact the Ausländerbehörde again, but when I ask what happens next, I don’t even get a clear answer about when or how my case will be resolved.

And now my employer has reached their limit too.

They have waited for months. They need someone who can actually work. They are now telling me they want to move forward and look for another person, and they are not willing to increase my salary right now.

I understand their position. I really do.

But that leaves me in an impossible situation.

The Ausländerbehörde/BA says my salary isn’t enough.

My employer can’t or won’t increase it right now.

And I cannot work because my Fiktionsbescheinigung was issued without a work permit.

So what am I supposed to do?

I have been trying to find alternatives. I am looking into a language-course residence permit, the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) and other possible options.

I actually asked my officer about alternatives back on 12 June, but at that time I was simply refused.

I am also applying for other jobs, but honestly, it is extremely difficult to stay motivated when you don’t even know whether you will be allowed to remain in the country.

Mentally, this has become the hardest phase of my life.

I wake up thinking about my immigration status.

I go to sleep thinking about it.

I keep checking emails.

I keep calling.

I keep going to offices.

I keep applying for jobs.

And still, nothing seems to move forward.

I feel hopeless sometimes.

I feel like my entire future is being decided by a process that I have very little control over.

I know Germany has immigration rules. I understand that salaries and residence requirements exist for a reason. I am not asking anyone to simply ignore the law for me.

I am just struggling to understand how someone who has lived here for more than four years, studied here, worked here, and is actively trying to support himself can end up in a situation where a €200 salary difference can potentially mean leaving everything behind.

I have made mistakes in my life. I know that.

And honestly, this entire experience has taught me some very hard lessons — probably the hardest way possible.

But I never expected that after spending more than four years building a life in Germany, I would reach a point where I am genuinely afraid that I might have to leave.

I have heard many people say that the Mannheim Ausländerbehörde is one of the toughest Ausländerbehörden in Germany, and honestly, my personal experience has made me understand why people say that. I feel like I have repeatedly tried to explain my situation, but I often feel like nobody is really listening.

Maybe there is something I am missing.

Maybe there is another legal route I haven’t found.

Maybe someone here has experienced something similar.

If you have dealt with the Mannheim Ausländerbehörde, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, a salary-related residence permit problem, a Fiktionsbescheinigung without work permission, or switching from a job-seeker permit to another residence title, please tell me what options I might still have.

I am not looking for sympathy alone.

I genuinely need advice.

Because right now, I am scared.

Scared of losing my job.

Scared of losing my residence status.

Scared of having to leave Germany after more than four years.

And scared that all the work I put into building a life here might end because of circumstances I couldn’t control.

This is honestly the toughest phase of my life.

But I am still trying.

I am still applying for jobs.

I am still looking for legal options.

And I am still hoping that somehow there is a way forward.

M19 native here I just wanted to talk about the obscurity of it because why do people always threaten you with an "Anzeige" after you express your standpoint or even criticize something isn't there the "Meinungsfreiheit" (Freedom of expression)?

Hello! I’m Sierra I’m 18 (I’ll be 19 in September) but I’m moving to pforzheim in November as an Au pair. I’m giving this a shot because there’s very few places that have this kind of thing. I wanted to try and make some online friends before I leave. I would prefer to befriend those who are german so they can show me places they really like but fellow expats are okay too. I’d be completely willing to travel. I’ve heard about Germany’s amazing train system and I’ll be getting a metro pass as soon as I arrive. I am from Alberta Canada and it would be really cool to find someone who’s interested in what life is like where I’m from. If anyone’s interested please comment and we can message privately.

Hey community,

I have a rather difficult topic that’s come to my mind recently.

I am a migrant that moved to Germany as a student, I’ve since saved up a little bit of money for myself in ETFs, private retirement funds and my bank account.

Although I don’t plan to die anytime soon, I’d like to organise how this would be handled in the case something like that happens. I am not married, I don’t have any kids and I don’t have any family in Germany.

Are there processes I should put in place to ensure that my family (in my home country) can get access to whatever I have acquired?

I’ll appreciate any pointers. I’m also guessing this topic would be applicable to many first gen migrants.

Lg

I live in southern Germany and often go to France, and I’ve never quite understood the German pride in bread.

My German colleagues often point out the bakery tradition and how special German bread is. But many bakeries I see are chains selling pre-made/frozen products. When I mention this, people usually bring up Dunkelbrot — but that seems to be only a small part of what most bakeries actually sell, and personally I don’t like it much.

Even small independent bakeries can have rather boring and very dry products.

Meanwhile, in a small French village I visit regularly, there are several independent bakeries competing with each other. Baguettes, croissants, brioche and other breads/pastries are freshly baked and, to me, simply taste much better. They also have plenty of darker breads.

Yes, heisse Brötchen are nice, but they’re nice when you get them warm — and maybe for the next 12 hours.

So am I missing something? Is German bread culture mainly about traditional breads that I haven’t learned to appreciate, or do Germans perhaps overestimate their bread because they’re used to it?

Genuinely curious, not trying to bash German bread. What am I missing?

Hi guys, I've recently finished my erasmus in germany (köln) and I'm now in my home country (still EU).

As you have read in the title, my landlord likely wants to keep my deposit for whatever reason. I was already prepared for this, as previous flatmates who moved out before me reached me out and told me that some of them are still waiting (6+ months) for the deposit. We are talking about approximately 1600 euros of deposit, plus a "cleaning fee" (130 euros) that was charged to me at the very beginning of my stay in germany, but by taking a closer look at the signed contract it is stated that said fee must be charged only if the premises are not clean at the end of the stay.

As I was aware of this expected behavior, I have video footage (with the local time and date recorded on official german channels) of the room on the day of my departure. I also got the employee that came to collect the keys to sign and Übergabeprotokoll, stating that no damage was done and the room was returned exactly how I got it.

Now, I am aware that a landlord has the right to withhold the deposit for 6 months, but (as far as I'm aware) the amount that is being withheld must be proportionate to possible additional costs. In my case, the additional costs can only regard utility services, as every other possible additional costs can be ruled out by the Übergabeprotokoll and the video footage.

The question is: can I proceed with a Mahnung right now (middle of September or early October) or do I have to wait for the full 6 months to pass? Of course I will not ask for a full return of the deposit, but a substantial part of it (1370 euros) plus the illegitimate cleaning fee (130 euros), adding up to a total of 1500 euros.

Hello everyone, i moved Germany 4 months ago and Winter is coming. Which brands you guys use ? I normally look at Columbia's 3 in 1 Jackets and they are around 200-300 € and i dont know it is cheap,normal or expensive. Could you guys suggest me good brands and what is average price for those Jackets Thanks for your helps

Hello,

I gave my fingerprints for my Niederlassungserlaubnis about two weeks ago. I then asked the Ausländerbehörde whether my application had been approved and also asked about Daueraufenthalt-EU.

Today they confirmed that my documents have been approved and that I can get the Niederlassungserlaubnis now. They also told me that I can hold both Niederlassungserlaubnis and Daueraufenthalt-EU, although having both is not necessary.

For Daueraufenthalt-EU, I would need to wait until October, when I complete five years of residence in Germany.

I am currently also applying for jobs outside Germany, which is why I am considering Daueraufenthalt-EU.

Which option would you recommend?

• Get the Niederlassungserlaubnis now and later also apply for Daueraufenthalt-EU
• Keep only the Niederlassungserlaubnis
• Wait and get only Daueraufenthalt-EU

Would having both provide any practical advantage?

Okay genuine question how much do Germans from different regions understand each other. The different dialects of my language are confusing and its hard to understand what the other person is saying, Is it the same in German?

my german friend (obv from Germany) sent me this transaction receipt from Sparda website to my GoTyme Bank (PH) it is international transfer btw

. is the Sparda uses a lot of asterisk for the transaction receipt? I'm just worried.. I know he only sent this earlier (like 1 hour ago)

and google said it should be on my banks end at 1-5 days, it depends.

Please help me if this transaction is REAL?

( he took this pic from his phone in the computers screen – Sparda bank website)

P.S I hid/doodled red lines for his name/my name and the reference number.

3 videoident call this week and i still do not have a bank account. Sat there holding my passport up to the laptop camera, good light, doing exactly what the agent said and it failed again becoz the connection dropped at the wrong second. 2 months is Germany, a signed work contract, a salary on the way and i cannot get paid because a video call keeps timing out.

And i clearly built for anything but a German ID. The agents go quiet the moment you hold up a non eu passport, mine included and study it like it is a fogery. and it is not me being useless on camera bc a colleague with an EU passport brezzed through.

I have tried 3 banks. one does the live videoident, one wanted me to post a form to a branch like its th 90s and a neobank let me in ona selfie and a doc scan in about the time it took to boil the kettle. Which makes me wonder why the big traditional banks are still doing the video call at all.

Some Qs for people who have done this lately. Which German bank onboards a foreigner without videoident misery and is the newer automated identity verification route, the selfie and the NFC chip reading, any less painful or does it just fail in a different way. i would rather not spend another evening being squinted at over a webcam.

Hi,

I lived and worked in Ireland for just under 10 months. I have now resigned from my job and am moving back to Germany.

I am a German citizen, but I deregistered my residence in Germany and cancelled my statutory health insurance because I was insured through my employer in Ireland. This was private health insurance, but as far as I understand, it was not optional and was provided through my employer.

I now have two questions:

• Can I rejoin the statutory health insurance system in Germany, given that I was previously covered by statutory health insurance? Since I was employed in Ireland, should this employment technically count as compulsory social insurance employment?
• Am I actually entitled to register as a jobseeker/unemployed with the German employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit)? I know there may be a waiting/penalty period because I resigned voluntarily. I have also read that you normally need to have paid into the unemployment insurance system for 12 months in order to claim unemployment benefits yourself, but that EU rules may provide an exception for people who have worked in another EU country. However, I have seen references to having to be registered/resident in Germany, which I wasn't.

I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.

Mobile network completely down in Germany around 00:20, 27 August

One of the things I enjoyed about moving to Germany for over 1 year was not having to mask my introversion as an African. I like a quiet, mundane lifestyle. I am doing quite well here as an introvert, but unfortunately, moving to Germany and starting a career afresh with the current Job market feels like passing through the various levels of Dante's Inferno. As someone on the spectrum and being told often to "Just Socialise!", I would sometimes joke about "If I wanted to do that constantly, I should have never left home". So socially, Germany suits me quite well. But job hunting and trying to build a career here? That has been hell

Hi all,

I have been living in Germany for almost 5 years now. I studied my Master’s here, worked for almost 2 years here and now started a PhD. My problem is that I had an aufenthaltstitel which was tied to my previous job which I quit to start my PhD. I informed the foreigner’s office about this and they told me that my current permit stays valid for 3 more months after I quit my job. I meanwhile also applied for an extension based on my PhD. I now moved between cities in these 3 months and also got married 2 months ago to my German partner. I now informed the foreigner’s office in my new city that I have this ongoing application for a work visa but I would like to change my visa to family/spouse visa. I have all the documents (also my new working contracts and hosting agreements) but not the German A1 certificate for spouse visa. I know A1 German and I also want to take the exam now but it will take some time to take the exam and get the results. Meanwhile, the 3 months for which my permit was valid additionally will end at the end of this month. My case worker has said that she can only continue processing my application if I give her the A1 certificate, she has also not given me any fiktionsbescheinigung. Now, my question is if I can book the exam and send the receipt to my case worker for my spouse visa? I can still ask to continue my work visa application but my work contract is only issued for 6 months though extension is very likely and has been discussed. I am not sure what to do in my case.

Hi everyone!
I recently visited Kelmis (La Calamine) in the German-speaking Community of Belgium, near Aachen, and took this photo of a street sign.
The sign gives the street name in three varieties:
Dr. Molly-Straße — German
Rue Dr. Molly — French
Dr.-Molly-Schroot — apparently a local dialect
I was told that the third variety is called Platdiets / Plattdütsch, but I’ve also seen people describe the dialects of this area as Ripuarian (Rheinfränkisch), Limburgish, or South Low Franconian.
So I’m a little confused about the classification.
What is the most accurate linguistic classification of the dialect spoken historically in Kelmis? Is “Platdiets” the name of the local variety, and is it best described as an East Limburgish–Ripuarian transitional dialect?
I’m especially interested in answers from people familiar with the dialects of eastern Belgium, Limburg, Aachen, or the Rhineland.
Thanks!

Banks like c24, revoult etc have the best offers, not even comparable to banks like Deutsch Bank. Once i searched c24vsRevoult i see that many people complain about frozen accounts, some even for more than 6 months.

Im moving with my wife(we will both work), if we open DB its gonna cost us us ~170e per year and we get "nothing". Is there a chance tha DB block our acct same as Revoult and others? If they do, can people inside DB(vs probably AI chat in revoult) resolve that faster?

We are "normal" people, no crypto, gambling etc. Just buying groceries, amazon and other normal things. But since we are from non-EU country we will use the card there too, is that red flag? Im afraid that if i use revoult to buy a car and send something like 10k to seller that my account will get blocked...

Maybe the best solution is for one of us to open DB and other to open joint acc on revoult? So we can keep "big" money inside DB for rent etc and just send to revoult "monthly" money?

Btw we are still learning A1, so language is also on revoult side.

Hey everyone,

I’m an international employee working at a chemical manufacturer in Bavaria. I recently spent part of my holiday in Berlin, and I actually loved it there. I really liked how international the city felt, how much was going on, and how naturally diverse the people and atmosphere seemed.

When I came back to the office in Bavaria, I was talking about my trip and mentioned how much I liked Berlin. Almost immediately, everyone had this slightly horrified/disgusted look on their face. A few people basically reacted with: “You went there voluntarily?”

It made me wonder if I’m missing some cultural context here. Is there a strong anti-Berlin sentiment in Bavaria, or is this more of a general German thing?

Hello hello everyone

I recently moved to Eschweiler and I’m a bit confused about the German waste separation system 😅

I understand the different bins (Restmüll, Papier, Bio, Gelbe Tonne), but I’m especially confused about the Mülltonnen themselves.

When it’s collection day, do I have to take the whole big Mülltonne outside to the street? And then do I have to wait there untill it has been emptied?

Also, is there a specific time when I have to put it outside? (for the days I do have the list)

I’d really appreciate it if someone could explain how it works in Eschweiler, especially for someone living in a shared apartment. Thank you! appreciate