How I Got My Intended Marriage (Family Reunion) Visa In 1 year.
This process is for the purpose of intended marriage in Germany to be married to my German Spouse.
28th June, 2022: Applied for appointment September, 2022: Wifey collected required documents from me 2nd November, 2022: Wifey submitted documents for background check 16th January, 2023: Lawyer in Nigeria started the background check 4th May, 2023: Verified documents arrived back in Germany 26th May, 2023: Documents translated to German 29th June, 2023: Marriage Registration 20th July, 2023: Got appointment mail from the Embassy 10th August, 2023: Went for the Visa interview 8th September, 2023: Embassy requested for A1 German Language certificate 17th October, 2023: Submitted A1 certificate at the Embassy 30th October, 2023: ABH requested additional documents from Wifey 31th October, 2023:Documents submitted at ABH 1st November, 2023: Approval Mail to submit passport for Visa 2nd November, 2023: Passport and travel insurance was dropped off at the Embassy. 9th November, 2023: Received passport with visa via DHL 22nd November, 2023: Traveled to Germany We got married in December 2023. Glory be to God....
We also made a detailed video of this timeline on our channel. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
• 22nd February 2022: Application for the interview/application appointment • 10th March 2023: Appointment Email Confirmation for April • 6th April 2023: Interview Date/ Visa application submission. - Submission of required documents including A1 language certificate • 14th June 2023: Visitation of document verification officer • 9th November 2023: Document verification notification • 7th December: The immigration authority (Die Ausländerbehörde) requested for 2 documents. - Copy of passport data page / ID (Ausweis) - Informal signed declaration to start a family with the applicant, my wife. • 5th January 2024: Embassy requests for passport and travel insurance submission via email. • 11th January 2024: Submits passport and travel insurance to embassy. • 15th January 2024: Passport with visa received via courier service.
Here are my tips for those currently at the brink of applying:
1. For spouses living in Germany, you can expedite the process by applying for "Nachbeurkundung" at your local Standesamt and submitting the required documents for verification. They have the capacity to kick-start the verification in parallel. This can be done while your spouse in Nigeria awaits the appointment date for the visa application submission.
2. The timing of attending the A1 German language course at Goethe Institute is crucial. It's advisable to aim for complet-ing the A1 certificate a few weeks after you submit your visa application at the embassy.
So sorry dear I feel your pain, I think is better to involve lawyer, he will know the law that backs your application up, this journey is really draining both physical emotional and mental health.
Me I have been waiting for approval for over a year plus now and yet nothing, just tired of the whole process. ABH should go and collect award of wickedness from the devil they really scored 100% there.
Khenniefashion: . My visa process was going smoothly not until my husband missed the mail requesting him to submit some documents. And he is saying he didn’t get any mail from them . I got rejected . Now I am appealing . I just don’t know how long the appeal process takes and I don’t know if they respond to it 😭
gofaik: Dear Nairalanders, my wife got to Germany on 25th December 2023.
Below is how the process went for us:
28th June, 2022 - Applied online for an appointment
25th August 2023 - We got an email from the embassy, informing us of her Visa appointment.
19th September 2023 - Family Reunion Visa Appointment
13th October 2023 - I got an email from the Immigration office in Germany to submit my documents
30th November, 2023 - I submitted all the documents
1st December 2023 - Got an update from the Immigration office that their response has been sent to the embassy in Nigeria
4th December: She got the Approval mail and was asked to send her passport and travel insurance
5th December 2023 - She sent her passport and travel insurance
13th December 2023 - Got her passport back.
24th December 2023 - She left Nigeria and arrived Germany on the 25th.
We paid for verification, but none was done, and we're yet to get a refund. I got my Blue Card after her appointment but before I submitted all my documents. For those still waiting for theirs, I hope everything go well for you.
To God be the glory! Finally got my visa on Friday. And I just have to share because in a lot of ways this group helped me when d tide of helpless, impatience and anxiety overflowed!
My timeline...
Sept 2021 __ application for appointment
Sept 2022 __ appointment invitation email
Oct 2022__ Visa Application/Interview
Dec 2022 __ Email requesting payment for verification
May 2023__ Lawyer Visitation
July 2023__ Verification Complete Email
August 2023 __ Mail from Aüslander for payslips and form for employer signature
October 2023__ Request for more documentation by the Aüslander
Then it was Ghost silence! We called the Aüslander in November and we were told it had been approved on their end and the delay was from Nigeria. My spouse had a lot of reservations about calling them in Nigeria..so we decided to be patient.
However, I couldn't be so patient anymore when we had heard nothing by the 1st week of December, so I sent an email to the embassy and got a mail to send passport and travel insurance.
7 Dec__ Sent Passport to the embassy
15 Dec__ Received Passport
I am so glad this has finally come to an end. I feel the waiting was the most challenging aspect of the application!! Hallelujah it ended in Praise!!
Codedboy95: Hi House, my wife and baby finally joined me in Germany yesterday. Here is our timeline: I booked a family reunion appointment on June 28th, 2022, thinking that once I arrived in Germany and obtained a Blue Card, the embassy would be compassionate (knowing my wife was pregnant) and fast-track her appointment, but this did not happen. In November, we decided to try our luck by booking another appointment for her under the Skilled Immigration Act visa category. She went for the appointment but was turned away by Mr. [you know who]. I made several attempts to see if her appointment could be fast-tracked, but the embassy told me point-blank that it was not going to happen. We accepted our fate and decided to wait. After my wife gave birth, we got our little guy his passport and emailed the embassy. They confirmed that they had added him to my wife's appointment. On August 28th, 2023, my wife and baby finally got an appointment for September 20th, 2023. oOn October 23rd, I received an email from ABH asking me to submit documents (prior to this, I had called BVA to inquire about the stage of my family's application). I submitted the documents via email two days later, on October 25th. The next day, October 26th, I received a response saying they had agreed to issue my family's visa and that it was now up to the embassy in Nigeria to approve it (I forwarded this email to the embassy in Nigeria). On October 31st, the embassy in Nigeria asked us to submit passports and a travel date. They did this the next day and received their stamped visas on November 6th.
I noticed post-appointment, our timeline was a bit fast, this is because lawyer verification was skipped since I am on blue card, Also, I was asked to submit documents via email, if it were to be through post, it could have take an extra week or two for the document submission request mail to get to me and maybe another one or two weeks for them to receive back the documents. It also seems that the office responsible for my application is a bit fast, I think this is because I stay in the outskirt of Berlin and maybe they don’t get much application or they don’t have much workload there.
I hope and pray that everyone waiting on this journey receives good news soon because it is not easy.
After 2yrs of the journey we've finally received our visa
Book appointment- October 10 2021 Appointment mail- November 14 2022 Visa interview- December 15 2022 Lawyer visit- March 28 2023 Verification completed- July 31st and we were asked to submit new A1 certificate because the previous one expired
A1 certificate submission- October 15 2023 ABH approval- October 26 2023 Approval mail- November 2 2023 Passport was submitted the same day Passport received- November 10 2023
I pray for good news for everyone still waiting. If your spouse over there can put pressure on them also, it helps a little bit. Send mails regularly even if they don't reply. Thanks to everyone who replied my questions and posted their experiences
TripleJ03: Applied for family reunion visa on the 31st of December 2021 for my hubby and 3 kids. 13th January 2023 got mail for appointment date 9th February visa interview. The V.O was so nice to my boys she even bought sweets and chocolate for them so that they can sit in one place. Note their interview was scheduled for 7am but they were at the embassy till past 2pm. Got a mail that I should add 1500€ to the 14,100€ I blocked in my account. Added the money same day and sent a mail to the embassy No message from the embassy for 4 months so i decided to mail them. June 16th a lawyer called my hubby that he was coming for verification Lawyer started verification from Abuja on the 20th of June from my children’s former school, hospital etc No news again from the embassy about the visa. September 22nd I contacted the international office responsible for international students in my school contacted my faculty dean. Both wrote a mail to ABH they said they were waiting for my embassy. Note during this period of waiting I feel sick with depression started therapy and I was advised by my doctor to take a semester off school because I couldn’t cope again. I wanted to travel back home but I knew I will never return back to Germany without my kids. My mom kept praying for me and encouraging me not to return. The student International office contacted the embassy and the embassy said they needed a power of attorney from me so that they can act on my behalf. I sent the letter immediately. September another lawyer called my husband that he was looking for his church were he did his baptism. October 12th the studentenwerk sent me a mail to vacate my apartment if my family does not arrive Germany before the end of October that other families too needs the accommodation and I was leaving alone for 1 year. I forwarded the message to the student international office, the embassy and the ABH stating my frustration. ABH replied immediately that they are also waiting for the embassy.
The embassy replied us that we should give them one week that the lawyer would submit his report on a Wednesday 18th October verification completed My hubby was asked to resubmit a spinsterhood affidavit and declaration of age because he signed it him self so the signature was different from his father’s own.
And my son was asked to submit any other document to show his year of birth because his news school wrote 2018 in their class register instead of 2019. Thank Hod I had his immunization card with me in Germany I send an express courier through Dhl on Friday evening by 520pm it got to Nigeria Saturday morning 9.15am and was delivered to the embassy on Monday morning. Embassy informed me that my children’s visas were approved and has been sent to the alien office I should write them the expiate action. I wrote the ABH stating the urgency because of my accommodation.. 25th October got an email from the embassy to send travel health insurance and date of travel. Send it same day. Note I sent my children’s passport ahead without been asked 26th my hubby got a call from the embassy to come and collect the children’s passport or send someone since they can see that the kids will travel by weekend I sent my cousin she arrived the embassy at 1pm she was not attended to because she was late. Collection closes by 12pm according to them Next morning been 27th she went back but the Almighty at the gate said they don’t give passports with hand. This was 3 mins to 12 and by 12pm they stop picking calls at the embassy. I quickly called my husband to call the embassy luckily he was able to speak with them and she was given the passport.
Straight to the airport she sent the passports to Abuja and we collected it after 2 hours. Kids traveled to Germany 28th October to the glory of God.
Note my husband’s visa is still pending because he was asked to submit A1 ……
God uses some situation to bless you in disguise. It was a neighbour that reported that I have been leaving alone for the past one year while other families are looking for accommodation. I guessed they noticed because I am the alone black there. In all I give praise to God, the fight was not an easy one but God gave me victory.
Thanks so much Sis. How is yours going? Any word yet from the embassy? Omor the waiting is real. How are you holding up? Don't worry it will soon be over.
Thank God, finally, congratulations ma'am because is not easy at all
FrauPosh: My lawyer just called me two hours ago, that he will be coming tomorrow. It has been a long wait. I'm so exhausted but I am thankful to God. This is coming at exactly 8 months and two weeks because although I had my interview in January 2023, the verification process began in February. So I was told by the embassy. Finally!! I thank everyone in this group for giving me the strength to go on with their kind words of encouragement. We will all smile at the end.
Mrsstephanieo: Good morning everyone😊. I am here to share my timeline and thank everyone that shared their timeline, gave me a lot of hope and helped out with information at everypoint when I needed it:
Applied for appointment - May 27, 2022 Goethe Online course - September- December 2022 Goethe Language Exam- January 2023 and I passed at once 💃🏻💃🏻😊 Got appointment date - June 30th 2023 Appointment - 27th July 2023 ABH Letter requesting for documents from my husband - 26th September 2023 Submitted Documents to ABH -2nd October 2023 Email to submit passport & travel insurance - 5th October 2023 Submitted passports - 6th October 2023 went myself 😊 Got passports with visa and docs - 16th October 2023 Intend to travel 1st week of November 2023
Caveats 1. My husband is a researcher so there was no need for verification and A1 certificate even though I went with verification fee and certificate. 3. All documents checked out from the appointment, so that aided smooth transition.
And again thank you to everyone that shared their timeline it was a blessing to me during the entire process🙏😊❤️
Final interview date (embassy made a mistake in my first appointment and I also gave birth that period so I needed a little time to recover before traveling to Lagos: 21.11.2022
Interview date for infant: 29.12.2022
Mail from embassy to submit A1: 01.02.2023
My husband’s ABH wrote him: 22.02.2023
Approval from my husband’s ABH: 01.03.2023
Submitted my A1 certificate: 26.04.2023
Lawyer verification: 10.05.2023
Lawyer verification complete email: 17.07.2023
Second approval from my husband’s city: 23.08.2023
Congratulations dear, it was truly a long wait but thank God it ended in praise, may Deutschland favour you dear.
Babbbbbbbbby: MY TIMELINE FOR GERMAN FAMILY REUNION VISA (sorry it late been really busy) My spouse was a blue card holder who became eligible for permanent residency just before my interview. Before my interview, my husband already submitted his documents to ABH and I got my first pre-approval with hopes that it will make things move faster but it didn’t. 1.Booked on the 21st August 2021. 2.Appointment email came on 16th Sept.2022 3.Interview was for 13th Oct.2022 4.I submitted my A1 result on 14th Dec.2022 (strategically delayed to avoid expiration before visa completion.
Then ,there was a prolonged period of silence for 7 months +. Calls and emails went unanswered. In February we called Bundesverwaltungsamt and we were told that a second pre-approval was sent to the embassy on 5th Jan.2023 and the lawyers verification was the only thing left for my visa to be approved. We were advised to have patience and stop with the frequent calls.
5.We started working with a German immigration lawyer on 11th may 2023 and he contacted the embassy, they replied him saying that the verification center had promised to do the verification as soon as possible and the lawyer should contact them by the first week of July 2023 to know the result of the verification. 6.Lawyer called for verification on 24th May 2023 and he came on 25th May 2023 and he was done by 31th may 2023. 7.Verification complete email sent on 14th July 2023 and it also said they were waiting for final decision from alien office. We called ABH on 17th July but was told the man in charge of our case was not available and they were yet to find someone to replace and handle his work. We emailed our lawyer same day and forwarded the emails sent by the embassy and ABH. He wrote them and was told the approval I got had expired and he also sent an email to ABH asking them to treat as urgent. Urgent efforts were made for an approval to be sent. My spouse wasn’t asked for any document or informed of the approval when it was finally sent. 8.Email to send passport, travel date and travel insurance 15th August 2023 9.I sent documents on 17th August 2023 from Uyo via Dhl and it was delivered on August 21st , 2023 to the embassy. 10.Passport received with visa August 28th , 2023 via Fedex to Uyo
Key Takeaways: **learned patience,importance of privacy and how to pray more. ** persistent communication through calls and emails is crucial,even if responses aren’t immediate.Someone is seeing your emails. ** Advisable to complete A1 requirements closer to the appointment to avoid expiration before visa completion. **Lastly we all might be applying for FRV but our cases/situations /Cities/application officers are different.
‘’PS’’: The lawyer asked for old pictures of me in secondary school and in family events when he came. Asked my parent about me;previous marriages if any, children if any, my educational level, how I told them about my spouse etc…
Well said . It's just like you knew about my situation at the moment. So many tears shed , confusion and frustration. This month makes it the 8th month without word from the embassy. I have not even been verified or visited by a lawyer. I have personally called and written to the embassy. We hired an immigration lawyer right from the onset . The lawyer has sent several mails yet no response. Infact I'm so heartbroken.
I feel your pain because am having similar issue with approval, but I believe we will all receive good news soon as long as our God liveth. Try your best as human and leave everything for God, He knows the best time.
This Germans are making me to doubt their reputation, January applicant is yet to receive a lawyer for verification whereas an April applicant is through with verification just waiting for verification completed mail same thing is also happening with approval mail, Hmmm nawaoh
I hope you understood dear? I edited my message. The contact number you requested is always bundesland specific. The number I provided is for NordRhine Westfalen.
Please ma can you share the contact of Bundesverfassungsamt
FrauPosh: Since January I haven't heard from my lawyer. We called Bundesverwaltungsamt they said we should call ABH. We called ABH, ABH said nothing is with them but they can see on their system that my verification started in January.🥺. Na WA ooooo
The country is too unfair, 10months today after interview and nothing, is well. Thank God man is not God.
Sugiejay: I know I am the one that want to go to their country o but this delay is too unfair. What they said was that verification of documents is just six months. This is the 9th month since interview. What is it? Is it until we are unable to manage our life as a married couple. I have called and sent emails. What on earth do they still want. Is it their money we will use to feed, we will still learn language by force to do anything worthwhile there so why make us go through hell first.
This is unfair and frustrating. You call or send mail they will keep giving annoying responses. And they were the ones who said not to call, I tried holding it without calling until this week and still nothing. Did we offend them specially
Awesome congratulations dear, God's time and grace, wawoooh God is awesome, am next in line quote author=GraceIsaac09 post=125005716]**** Visa approval Update *****
Good day wonderful people of this forum. My FRV update is finally here and I’m sharing to give insight and hope to someone else.
27th August, 2021: Application for FRV
*2022* 5th July - Goethe A1 exam
23rd September - E-Mail confirmation of appointment.
17th October - Visa appointment & interview - all documents confirmed to be okay.
No update, no lawyer, nothing.
*2023*
19th February - My husband sent an email to BVA (Bundesverwaltungsamt) and ABH to find out application status.
22nd February - Called the Embassy and the lady I spoke with confirmed my application was in processing and my husband should get in touch with the ABH in his city.
28th February - Got a response from BVA that my application/documents were in the ABH but the current status of the application could not be confirmed. Only the location of the application was confirmed.
3rd April - My husband sent another email to ABH requesting an update.
11th April - Got a response from ABH that the application was with them, was being reviewed and to be patient.
1st May - Lawyer's verification.
12th June - “Verification completed” email received.
13th June - ABH emailed my husband to send his documents (payslips, employment certificate, employment & housing contracts, proof of payment of rent, health insurance and proof of pension insurance).
28th June - My husband submitted requested documents (via email).
30th June - ABH visa approval received via email.
9th July - Sent an email to German Embassy & ABH forwarding the visa approval email from the ABH; both of us sent separate emails to the Embassy while my husband alone sent to ABH (the email was in German). I also filled the contact form on the Embassy website. We spammed them as we were already tired of waiting at this point.😅
12th July - Approval email from Embassy requesting for my passport, travel date and travel insurance.
13th July - Submission of passport and travel insurance (got there before 7am but was told submission doesn’t start till 11; had to wait)
19th July - DHL delivered stamped passport
*Key lessons* * Prayer and patience are very important. This one is self explanatory.
* BE HONEST - both you and your spouse. E get why. Every single document I submitted and claim i made about my identity was verified - from birth, baptism, marriage, education to work. Like someone else has mentioned on this platform, “they will juxtapose your interview with the forms you submit”.
* If you’ll be needing the German A1 language certificate, try to take the exam as close to your estimated appointment date as possible (the wait time is currently about 14 months after your application date. Note that Goethe Institut closes for summer break throughout August) This tip is in case this 1 year plus wait time continues; to avoid taking the exam again as the embassy typically requests certificate not older than 1 year.
* If you’re not sure what a document is/how to fill in some information please just ask on the thread.
* Additionally, always filter information before applying it to your situation.
* Everyone’s case/situation/visa type/application officer(s) is different…using timelines shared on this platform to try to plan how much time yours will take will likely only cause you anxiety.
* Live your life. I know it’ll be hard to, but please apply yourself to your job/trade/engage in activities and hobbies and learning transferrable skills for when you finally get to Germany.
Praying for everyone else in the waiting period…may we be reading your good news soon.🙏🏾[/quote]
Travel / Re: General German Work And Family Re-union Visa Enquiries by VERASONDUBABE: 8:05pm On Apr 19