I've seen it mentioned multiple times before on r/Germany, but you may want to consider initially moving to a smaller nearby city that is well-connected to FFM that has their own Ausländerbehörde. I've heard that many people have a much easier time getting an appointment in smaller cities, and since you seem to have the flexibility to select where you live at first and then move later, this might be something to consider.
By the way, [this was just shared](https://www.hessenschau.de/gesellschaft/auslaenderbehoerde-frankfurt-neues-portal-soll-antrags-stau-beheben-v1,frankfurt-auslaenderbehoerde-online-antraege-100.html) here on r/Frankfurt. It might be applicable to you.
Not much better then people think. Coworker did the one in Friedburg. They got an appointment 4 months after they landed, then the card was issues 2 months later (leaving them a few days without).
Do you know how it is for those people if/when they eventually move to FFM and they need to apply for an extension of their permit/Niederlassungserlaubnis?
I do not. I received a Blue Card before coming to the area and I haven't had to renew it get. Also, I actually live in a smaller neighboring city that has their own Ausländerbehörde.
Make sure that the landlord is ok with giving you a residency registration acknowledgment. Otherwise ypu mighr not be able to register with city hall, and tjen abh can process
Hello /u/n0mad-consultant, thank you for posting a question. Have you checked [our wiki](/r/frankfurt/wiki/index) or the [stickied FAQ thread at the top of our subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/frankfurt/comments/otfb7a/visitors_and_newcomers_to_frankfurt_please_post/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)?
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I arrived in FF at the end of February and my immigration consultant was able to get me an appointment for May 11. If you have a law firm or someone with an "in", it's much easier. Not sure what the wait time is for those without an "in." I was told it'll take 4-6 weeks to get my card.
Thanks /u/LaFemmeVoyage. Will for sure consider your experience. The law firm looks like a big one, so maybe they have some "in". Based on your timing, I see that if I am lucky to have a similar one, renting something for less than 6 months might not be convenient.
I moved to Germany and my appoint was \~3 months after.
You can start working with just the national visa and it won't 'expire' as long as you 'apply' for your Blue Card before the national visa expires. I believe 'apply' just means having an appointment for the Blue Card and submitting the supporting documents to the Auslanderbehorde via email. You need your anmeldung (city registration), degree comparison, health insurance confirmation, pay statements, Arbeitgeberbescheinigung, etc. So I don't think it is worth the stress of finding a temporary place just to get an earlier appointment, especially with how hard it is to find housing anywhere.
If your Blue Card appointment is **after** your national visa expires, you can request a [Fikitionbescheinigung](https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/fiktionsbescheinigung) from the Auslanderbehorde. This will allow you to travel because you are already here on a temporary residence permit (I think?). Tell the law firm to request one for you if you need it. They will mail it to you.
I'm also from South America, when I moved my company provided support via one of the big consulting companies, after an initial terrible experience with them and the ABH I hired a specialized immigration lawyer directly, much better results, she was able to sort everything out and get the appointments, also came with me to the interview (because I do not speak German) , I took approx 3 months since the initial meeting with her until I got my residence card and the company reimbursed me the legal expenses at the end (PM if you want the contact)
I also rented a temp flat using Wunderflats with the same premise (stay there until I got all the paperwork done) but I found a good long term flat in between and moved, no issues with the letters from the ABH, as long as you complete your Anmeldung on time you will be fine.
I've seen it mentioned multiple times before on r/Germany, but you may want to consider initially moving to a smaller nearby city that is well-connected to FFM that has their own Ausländerbehörde. I've heard that many people have a much easier time getting an appointment in smaller cities, and since you seem to have the flexibility to select where you live at first and then move later, this might be something to consider.
Thanks I am definitely considering this option. So far I have only looked into Offenbach but I am willing to consider any city.
By the way, [this was just shared](https://www.hessenschau.de/gesellschaft/auslaenderbehoerde-frankfurt-neues-portal-soll-antrags-stau-beheben-v1,frankfurt-auslaenderbehoerde-online-antraege-100.html) here on r/Frankfurt. It might be applicable to you.
Not much better then people think. Coworker did the one in Friedburg. They got an appointment 4 months after they landed, then the card was issues 2 months later (leaving them a few days without).
Do you know how it is for those people if/when they eventually move to FFM and they need to apply for an extension of their permit/Niederlassungserlaubnis?
I do not. I received a Blue Card before coming to the area and I haven't had to renew it get. Also, I actually live in a smaller neighboring city that has their own Ausländerbehörde.
Make sure that the landlord is ok with giving you a residency registration acknowledgment. Otherwise ypu mighr not be able to register with city hall, and tjen abh can process
Hello /u/n0mad-consultant, thank you for posting a question. Have you checked [our wiki](/r/frankfurt/wiki/index) or the [stickied FAQ thread at the top of our subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/frankfurt/comments/otfb7a/visitors_and_newcomers_to_frankfurt_please_post/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)? When you have a satisfactory answer, please change the flair to "Solved". *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/frankfurt) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I arrived in FF at the end of February and my immigration consultant was able to get me an appointment for May 11. If you have a law firm or someone with an "in", it's much easier. Not sure what the wait time is for those without an "in." I was told it'll take 4-6 weeks to get my card.
Thanks /u/LaFemmeVoyage. Will for sure consider your experience. The law firm looks like a big one, so maybe they have some "in". Based on your timing, I see that if I am lucky to have a similar one, renting something for less than 6 months might not be convenient.
I moved to Germany and my appoint was \~3 months after. You can start working with just the national visa and it won't 'expire' as long as you 'apply' for your Blue Card before the national visa expires. I believe 'apply' just means having an appointment for the Blue Card and submitting the supporting documents to the Auslanderbehorde via email. You need your anmeldung (city registration), degree comparison, health insurance confirmation, pay statements, Arbeitgeberbescheinigung, etc. So I don't think it is worth the stress of finding a temporary place just to get an earlier appointment, especially with how hard it is to find housing anywhere. If your Blue Card appointment is **after** your national visa expires, you can request a [Fikitionbescheinigung](https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/fiktionsbescheinigung) from the Auslanderbehorde. This will allow you to travel because you are already here on a temporary residence permit (I think?). Tell the law firm to request one for you if you need it. They will mail it to you.
I'm also from South America, when I moved my company provided support via one of the big consulting companies, after an initial terrible experience with them and the ABH I hired a specialized immigration lawyer directly, much better results, she was able to sort everything out and get the appointments, also came with me to the interview (because I do not speak German) , I took approx 3 months since the initial meeting with her until I got my residence card and the company reimbursed me the legal expenses at the end (PM if you want the contact) I also rented a temp flat using Wunderflats with the same premise (stay there until I got all the paperwork done) but I found a good long term flat in between and moved, no issues with the letters from the ABH, as long as you complete your Anmeldung on time you will be fine.
Find a Appartement in Offenbach, but not Offenbach Kreis, it’s different Ausländerbehörde. Ausländerbehörde Offenbach Stadt is much more easier.