Job change: Hamburg or Copenhagen?

Hamburg or Copenhagen. This is a very personal question of taste that nobody can answer better than yourself. I would strongly suggest you at least visit Copenhagen before deciding. Both are great cities. A big factor being that Hamburg is much bigger. Some people prefer big cities, others not.

Another major question would be language. Even if your job is not dependent on knowing the local language one's quality of life is. One could see it positive as a new challenge; others would feel hesitant to be starting over again in a new country with a new language. Compared to Chinese, one will of course see the commonality between Danish, German and English but it is a separate language and not just a dialect. I would dare to say that the level of English in Denmark is notably better than in Germany and in Copenhagen better than in smaller communities.

You claim to have permeant residency. I doubt this after 3 years. There is a status which I assume you have called “unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis” which many mistakenly translate or understand as permanent. But not specifically limited is not the same as permanent as I will later explain. If one gets the higher level of residency status “Niederlassungserlaubnis” one can refer to it as permanent.

With unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis there is no specific end date. Theoretically one could remain living in Germany forever. BUT if one leaves for more than a year then the status is lost and you have to start all over again. With Niederlassungserlaubnis one can possibly leave for a longer of time and still retain their residency if it is agreed to be local authorities.

Thanks for your reply!
Yes it's unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis. As I was blue card holder.

I will clarify with immigration authority again. I heard if I can enter Germany once every 6 months then the permit is still valid. This is very important for me.

I don't have preference regarding the size of city, but I feel Hamburg local people are not so easy to approach compared to Asian or American ( I lived in California, US before) . I speak fluent English but little German.
I hear Danish are even more cold, which worries me a lot....

I don't think just entering Germany is enough to retain the status. I think you would have to again live there at least 6 months before being able to leave for another up to one year period. I know there are countries where one gets a limited visa and one merely has to leave the country to get a new one - but residency is another matter. The officials are not stupid in Germany. They don't allow one to maintain such a status without actually living in the country, so trying to kind of trick them by just occasionally visiting won't work.

But maybe there are also some exceptions as a blue card holder as opposed to just having a normal unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis. The only sure way to know if to ask at the immigration office in Hamburg. From what I understand, as long as you have the blue card then you will be allowed to work in Denmark rather than start at the beginning by applying for permission. If there is also a mechanism that you can retain your residency in Germany while being in another EU country on the blue card status is beyond my knowledge.

One solution would to go ahead and apply for the German Niederlassungserlaubnis. Normally it takes 5 years but only 33 months for a blue card holder with high qualifications. And if one can prove a high level of German, just 21 months. I found this information, provided below in the original German, on an official German government site for immigration:
https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs … liste.html

Nach 33 Monaten hochqualifizierter Beschäftigung kann Inhabern der Blauen Karte EU die Niederlassungserlaubnis erteilt werden. Verfügt der Inhaber der Blauen Karte EU bereits frühzeitig über gute deutsche Sprachkenntnisse, wird die Niederlassungserlaubnis bereits nach 21 Monaten hochqualifizierter Beschäftigung erteilt.

@TominStuttgart

Hi Tomin, I have been reading couple of your replies and advices in this forum regarding "living outside Germany and permanent residency". You seems really know quite indepth regarding this matter. I know this is an old thread, but I will give a shot to ask you here.

To understand better regarding my condition:

My situation is slighly similar with OP. I (non EU national) have had been living in Germany (also in Hamburg) under Blue Card Visa, and then after 33 months and A1 level German, I converted it to permanent residence. "Niederlassungs-erlaubnis" with tittel "unbrefistet gultig erwerbstatigkeit erlaubt" clearly written in my German ID Card instead of "unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis".

However, 5 months ago, I decided to move and change job to work in another EU country (Belgium).

I did abmeldung, I switched my health insurance to Belgian insurance, and I stop paying taxes in Germany, but paying one in Belgium of course. I didn't inform Ausländeramt that I would/might want to go back to Germany again. I always thought that my NE will expire after 6 months away (without rent, without health insurance, without paying taxes in Germany). I had decided that i will give up my NE in Germany to apply for similar one in Belgium (which I aware, that I can apply it after 1 year working here because I have NE from Germany).

However,

in reality, in terms of applying my "first" working permit here in Belgium beofre I moved here, applying family reunification visa for my "non-eu" spouse, my flexibility to change job in Belgium, etc., I am not experiencing any "special" treatment so far even thought I already have NE from Germany,  I feel like I still treated the same as "a non-EU national coming first time to Europe" and sometimes, it makes me to look back to Hamburg again,

Now, i wonder regarding your statement

"With Niederlassungserlaubnis one can leave for any length of time and still retain their residency."

seems like this is sounds too good to be true.

I just want to know, considering I still in this "5 months period" after departure from Germany, do you think I can still do something to avoid losing my NE in Germany?

The German permanent residence status expires when you are 6 months or more abroad - UNLESS you got prior permission from the foreigner authority to keep it. They give such permission ONLY if you are going abroad for a limted time longer than 6 months - you HAVE TO be able to give them the move-back date!

I don't think this applies to you, so you rightly lose your German residence in a month.

@TominStuttgart
Hi Tomin, I have been reading couple of your replies and advices in this forum regarding "living outside Germany and permanent residency". You seems really know quite indepth regarding this matter. I know this is an old thread, but I will give a shot to ask you here.
To understand better regarding my condition:

My situation is slighly similar with OP. I (non EU national) have had been living in Germany (also in Hamburg) under Blue Card Visa, and then after 33 months and A1 level German, I converted it to permanent residence. "Niederlassungs-erlaubnis" with tittel "unbrefistet gultig erwerbstatigkeit erlaubt" clearly written in my German ID Card instead of "unbefristete Aufenthaltserlaubnis".

However, 5 months ago, I decided to move and change job to work in another EU country (Belgium).

I did abmeldung, I switched my health insurance to Belgian insurance, and I stop paying taxes in Germany, but paying one in Belgium of course. I didn't inform Ausländeramt that I would/might want to go back to Germany again. I always thought that my NE will expire after 6 months away (without rent, without health insurance, without paying taxes in Germany). I had decided that i will give up my NE in Germany to apply for similar one in Belgium (which I aware, that I can apply it after 1 year working here because I have NE from Germany).

However,
in reality, in terms of applying my "first" working permit here in Belgium beofre I moved here, applying family reunification visa for my "non-eu" spouse, my flexibility to change job in Belgium, etc., I am not experiencing any "special" treatment so far even thought I already have NE from Germany, I feel like I still treated the same as "a non-EU national coming first time to Europe" and sometimes, it makes me to look back to Hamburg again,

Now, i wonder regarding your statement
"With Niederlassungserlaubnis one can leave for any length of time and still retain their residency."
seems like this is sounds too good to be true.

I just want to know, considering I still in this "5 months period" after departure from Germany, do you think I can still do something to avoid losing my NE in Germany?
[email protected]

Sorry, the statement that with Niederlassungserlaubnis one can leave indefinitely was a mistake from me that I have now corrcted in my ealier post. There are still limits but they can be longer, even a couple of years if one goes to another EU country. BUT such extentions depend on local officals agreeing and on the basis that one intends to return and they will have a job and steady financial sitauation upon return.

Hi Beppi and Tomin. Thanks for your reply!

Yes, I guess so, but after I checked a little bit further, I found this information "If you previously had an EU Blue Card and are staying outside the European Union or in the EU countries of Denmark and Ireland, your Permanent EC Residence title will expire after 24 months (this period then also applies to your family members with a residence permit for family reunion)."from this link:

https://www.hamburg.com/welcome/entry-r … ay-abroad/

What is stated above is "NE converted from Blue Card" right? Permanent EC Residence=NE ?So I guess, I still have 19 months left before I lose my NE? which authority I should contact to make sure about this? Embassy Germany in Belgium? Hamburg Welcome Center? My home country Embassy in Belgium?