What is the eligibility requirement for Germany Opportunity Card?

With the Germany Opportunity Card, skilled people from outside the EU can live in Germany and look for work without first having a job offer. If someone wants to be considered, they must either meet some basic requirements or get a certain number of points in a formal system.

Some basic requirements for being eligible are

• Having a degree from a university outside of your home country OR having gone through at least two years of training in a trade that is legal in your home country.
• Being able to speak and understand basic German at level A1 or basic English at level B2. 
• Having health insurance that is still valid and enough money to cover your costs of living in Germany.
• Having a passport that is still valid and meeting the normal requirements to get a visa or housing permit. 

There is no need to use the points system if you have a "fully recognised qualification." This means that your foreign qualification is the same in Germany as the German qualification. 

If not, you can use the points system and make sure you have at least six points before you apply. 

Some factors that come up often and their points are- 

• You can get up to four points if a vocational or university degree from another country is recognised (or partially recognised). 
• Language skills above the basic level, like being able to speak English C1 (1 point), German B1 (2 points), or German B2 (3 points). 
• If you've had two or more jobs in the last five or seven years, you might get two or three points. 
• People younger than 40 can get one point, and people younger than 35 can get two points. 
• Had the right to live in Germany for at least six months in a row in the last five years: 1 point. 

Note: tourists who only stay for a short time in Schengen areas do not count. One point for having the right skills for a job that is hard to find in Germany.  You might get one point if you move in with your partner or spouse (a "joint application"). 

There is a card called the Opportunity Card that lets you stay in Germany for up to a year while you look for work. You can work up to 20 hours a week as a part-timer while you look for work, and you can do up to two weeks of temp work for each company. You might be able to switch to a longer-term work permit for residence if you find a good job during that time. If not, the Opportunity Card can't be extended for another year without meeting the requirements for a follow-on permit. 

For short, the Opportunity Card lets skilled people from outside the EU come to Germany to look for work, even if they don't have a job offer. It's enough for them to meet the basic education and language requirements. Then they can pick between the points system and the assessment route. Make sure that all of your documents, such as proof of funds and language certificates, are ready before you send in your application.