Find your programme or your job offer

Your university admission or job contract is the anchor document for your visa — so this choice comes first, and it usually chooses your city for you.

Students:

• Search programmes on the DAAD database (all international programmes, filterable by language and city).
• Check that the university is state-recognised (staatlich anerkannt) — if it isn't in the DAAD database or Hochschulkompass, walk away; a non-recognised "degree" carries no student visa.
• Check whether your target university uses uni-assist (a central application service most universities use for international applicants) or direct applications.
• Watch the deadlines: roughly 15 July for winter semester and 15 January for summer semester, but earlier for many programmes — verify per university.
• Students from some countries (including India, China and Vietnam) need an APS certificate before applying for a visa — this takes weeks, start early.

Workers:

• Search on the official Make it in Germany job board plus the usual platforms (LinkedIn, StepStone, Indeed).
• German CVs are factual and short; a photo is common but optional.
• Once you have an offer, your employer's HR often helps with the visa process — ask them what they provide (including whether they'll run the fast-track procedure) before doing everything alone.

Red flags:

• "Guaranteed admission" agencies. Admission decisions are made only by universities (and uni-assist) — everything an agent does, you can do yourself for free with DAAD's guidance.
• Job offers that arrive without any interview, or that ask you to pay for "visa processing", "training materials" or "registration" — a classic fraud pattern targeting people abroad.
• Verbal promises. If the salary, role and start date aren't in the written contract, they don't exist.
• Pressure to decide in 24 hours "or the spot goes" — real universities and employers have processes, not countdowns.