Entry & first steps

Emigrating to Germany to work and live here is a decision that should be carefully considered and prepared for. You can help your new specialist from abroad with the first steps in their new home country. Some things can be taken care of before they arrive in Germany (e.g. support with the visa process, finding accommodation or health insurance in Germany). But even when your new employee finally arrives in the Ore Mountains, a lot of things need to be organized and registered. The Welcome Center Erzgebirge will support you and your foreign skilled worker with this.

Once the foreign skilled worker has arrived in Germany, they can take up the intended job with the issued visa for the purpose of taking up employment. During the validity of the entry visa, they must apply for their residence permit at the relevant immigration authority in good time before the visa expires.

In Germany, the foreign skilled worker must first register with the residents' registration office in the new place of residence and then go to the immigration authority to obtain the residence permit.

Other important first steps include health insurance and opening a current account, as well as everything to do with housing and mobility. Nationality is generally irrelevant when it comes to social insurance. This means that foreign skilled workers who work for your company are treated as domestic employees. They are subject to compulsory health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance. Some statutory health insurance companies also offer good support for employers on the subject of foreign skilled workers.

The Welcome Center Erzgebirge supports you with a comprehensive checklist for your first steps in Germany and individual personal advice.

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CHECKLIST "FIRST STEPS"

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Tips "First steps"

Personal pick-up

Show your appreciation and pick up your foreign skilled worker personally at the airport or train station when they arrive in Germany.

Welcome folder

Orientation at the new place of residence, information about your company, tips for the first steps on site and interesting facts about life in the region - a welcome folder provides a wide range of information to help you arrive and settle in. Individual company-related additions to the folder, such as giveaways with the company logo, reinforce the feeling of welcome.

SIM card

Provide a prepaid SIM card for the cell phone directly upon arrival or support you in obtaining one. A SIM card is important so that your skilled worker can be reached and can find their way around Germany with the help of a mobile data volume, be it through the use of navigation services or translation tools.

Apartment

The very first thing an immigrant needs after arriving in Germany is an apartment. Without an apartment, it is not possible to register a place of residence or open a bank account. A temporary hotel address is rarely accepted as an official registration address. It is therefore important that you organize initial accommodation for your skilled worker. If possible, look for temporary accommodation near your company that you can offer your new skilled worker for the first period, preferably furnished.

Visits to authorities

In the beginning, there will be appointments at the bank, the immigration office or the residents' registration office. It can make it much easier to get started if these appointments are taken into account when scheduling and you support your new employee with the organization.

Onboarding

It is advisable to structure the induction phase well. With the help of a well-thought-out and prepared onboarding process, you can ensure that the new employees are well integrated into the existing team and can manage their professional tasks independently. You can find more detailed information on successful onboarding in the "Operational integration" section

Patience and understanding

Bear in mind that your new foreign specialist may not be able to demonstrate their professional competence properly at first because they have problems with the language and communication.

Infrastructure & mobility

In the Ore Mountains, it is often not possible to get to work on foot due to the great distance from home. When planning your work schedule, take public transport travel times into account wherever possible and inform your employees about alternatives.

Alternatives to public transport that you can support as an employer:

Carpooling - support the formation of carpools through internal company brokerage exchanges, reserved parking spaces or other benefits.
Bike leasing: If you can easily get to work by bike, it is worth leasing a bike so that you can cover the distance faster and less dependent on public transport.
Simson-Leasing: a unique offer in Chemnitz offers moped leasing.
Scheduled services - like the ERZmobil in Zwönitz. This runs exclusively on order between defined entry and exit points and does not serve any fixed routes.

"The Welcome Center provided me with particular support in my search for an apartment." Hamza Tlemsamani | TURCK Beierfeld GmbH

"The Welcome Center provided me with particular support in my search for an apartment. Once I was in Germany, they also helped me with questions from the immigration office and with registering for health insurance. This support was very helpful for me."

Living

If your new foreign skilled worker has not yet found their own apartment in Germany, they can live in a furnished vacation apartment, a youth hostel or a hotel on a temporary basis. However, it is not usually possible to register residence there.

Important: The place of residence must be registered with the relevant authorities within two weeks of arrival in Germany.

You should therefore support your new employees with furnished company accommodation for the initial period, if possible.

You can find a good general overview of housing in Germany at "Make it in Germany". From the different types of housing and the process of finding accommodation to the topics of rental contracts and moving in, future employees will find detailed information here.

We are happy to support you and your new employees with personal advice, contacts and information on finding accommodation in the Ore Mountains.

We have compiled the most important contacts in the Erzgebirge district in our guide "Housing in the Erzgebirge". In addition to the municipal housing cooperatives and associations, housing and real estate offers from banks and savings banks, we have listed private real estate agents and Internet exchanges for finding housing and real estate.

You will also find initial information on the subject of housing on Erzgebirge - Gedacht.Gemacht.andon the websites of the desired place of residence.

In addition to temporary arrival support with company housing, long-term company housing is also a way of increasing your attractiveness as an employer. Closer ties to the company and no time-consuming and costly search for accommodation are the main aspects that speak in favor of employee housing from both the employer's and employee's point of view.

Your tax advisor will be happy to inform you about the special tax features of employee housing.

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ACTION GUIDE "LIVING IN THE ORE MOUNTAINS"

Company trainee apartment

Do you want to create company housing for trainees? The state supports the construction of company housing for trainees through the BMWSB's funding program "Social housing - affordable and future-proof housing for young and old"

"The excellent support provided by the Welcome Center in handling all official and administrative requirements has helped us a great deal." Falk Höhn | Director Human Resources TURCK Beierfeld GmbH

"Giving young people from abroad a perspective in the Ore Mountains and training them as future skilled workers here has been significant and important to us for many years. The excellent support provided by the Welcome Center in handling all official and administrative requirements has helped us a great deal. We are very happy to work with the Welcome Center as a partner in the integration of foreign employees."