Work permit for refugees
To be allowed to work in Germany, you need a work permit. Whether you receive a work permit depends on your residence status. Here you can find out which rules apply to you.
If you are not a refugee, you will find helpful information on the subject of work permits in our chapter"Migration to Germany".
Do I get a work permit?
I am still in the asylum procedure
If you have a residence permit or proof of arrival, your access to the labor market is restricted. Self-employment is generally not permitted. To work as an employee, you must apply for a work permit from your foreigners authority before you start working.
Asylum seekers can obtain a work permit if they have already been in Germany for 3 months and no longer have to live in an initial reception center. If you still have to live in an initial reception center, you can obtain a work permit after 6 months if you have underage children. If you do not have underage children and are still living in an initial reception center, you can obtain a work permit after 9 months.
Asylum seekers cannot obtain a work permit if their asylum application was rejected because another EU country is responsible(Dublin procedure) or if they come from a "safe" country of origin and their asylum application submitted after August 31, 2015 was rejected. Asylum seekers whose application has been rejected by the BAMF as a Dublin case and have already been living in Germany for nine months have the right to apply for a work permit. You can find out more about safe countries of origin in our chapter"Safe countries of origin".
Important: Your work permit is not valid in general, but for a specific job. Your future employer must fill out a form about the conditions of the job and you must fill out the "Application for permission to work". Once both forms have been completed in full, the immigration authority should reply to you within two weeks. If you do not receive a reply or receive a rejection, contact an advice center. You can also submit an urgent application to the administrative court. You can find advice centers in your area at proasyl.de, for example.
I have a tolerated stay permit
If you have a tolerated stay permit, your access to the labor market is restricted. Self-employment is generally not permitted. To work as an employee, you must apply for a work permit from your foreigners authority before you start working.
Persons with a tolerated stay permit can obtain a work permit if they have already been in Germany for 3 months and no longer have to live in an initial reception center. If they still have to live in an initial reception center, they can obtain a work permit after 6 months.
They cannot obtain a work permit if they have prevented their deportation through "lack of cooperation or deception" or if they come from a "safe" country of origin and their asylum application submitted after August 31, 2015 was rejected. You can find out more about safe countries of origin in our chapter"Safe countries of origin".
Important: Your work permit is not valid in general, but for a specific job. Your future employer must fill out a form about the job and you must fill out the "Application for permission to work". Once both forms have been completed, the immigration authority should reply to you within two weeks. If you do not receive a reply or receive a rejection, contact an advice center. You can also submit an urgent application to the administrative court. You can find advice centers in your area at proasyl.de, for example.
I have a residence permit
If your asylum application has been approved, i.e. you have been granted protection status as a person entitled to asylum, refugee or subsidiary protection, you may work as an employee or self-employed person without any restrictions. The same rules apply to you on the labor market as for German citizens.
If your asylum application has been rejected but you have been granted a residence permit due to a national ban on deportation, the immigration authority will decide whether or not you will be granted a work permit. You will find this information on your residence permit or in an additional sheet that will be given to you with your residence permit.
Important
There used to be a rule that asylum seekers and tolerated persons only received a work permit for a job if no German citizens or EU citizens could be found for the job. This was called the "priority check". This rule no longer exists.
If you are a refugee seeking employment in Germany, you must first obtain a work permit from your foreigners authority. This requirement applies even if you have already been granted a residence permit or proof of arrival.
Asylum seekers who have been living in an initial reception center for more than 3 months (or 6 months if they have underage children) can apply for a work permit, provided their asylum application has not been rejected due to the Dublin procedure or from a "safe" country of origin.
Source: handbookgermany.de
