COMPLIANCE CORNER: German Work Visa Applications

August 17, 2023


Two of the biggest immigration impacts of Brexit have been the loss of right to work in European Union countries for UK nationals and the requirement for UK nationals to limit their travel in the Schengen area to 90 days in a 180-day period.

Following an increased number of work visa applications, the German Consulate in the UK is now scrutinizing all previous travel to Germany when reviewing work visa applications. The Consulate will question any extensive stays in Germany as a visitor and have included a continuous stay of 19 days as an extensive stay and determined that the stay was for work and not as a true visitor. This resulted in the work visa application being refused, and the UK national received a 6-month travel ban from the Schengen area.

Companies are advised to carefully consider various factors around employees’ travel to Germany if they are travelling as a visitor, such factors include the activities to be conducted and the length of stay to minimize impacts on the work visa application.

Immigration Insights

Should you have any questions, do reach out to Newland Chase at [email protected] if you would like to book a consultation with our immigration experts who can help you to navigate German immigration requirements.

This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.