Germany's New Immigration Laws Might Not Be So Great After All

Hallo und guten abend Reader -

What's on this week? Germans are consuming less beer and will soon be paying more for meat. Your German citizenship application will be denied if you're on social security benefits like unemployment. Berlin is having yet another election. Berlinale invited AfD members to some of their events and only disinvited them after getting publically shamed.

We cover all this and more in our 11/02/2024 edition of The Berlin Life newsletter.

Personal News

Sometimes, I'm going to overshare.

⭐ I finally broke down and hired a cleaner to come to my flat once a month. I've been feeling burnt out and a messy flat on top of all the work I usually have to do was stressing me out a lot. Hiring Sunshine Cleaners was the best thing I've done in a long time, as it feels good not having to worry about cleaning, and improves my overall mood when I see a clean flat. I highly recommend them, as they have English-speaking cleaners who do a great job and they have a solid support team as well. 🗑🧹🧤🧽

Community News

News from The Berlin Life community.

⭐ We have a lot of new subscribers this week, so a big shout-out to all of you! I hope you enjoy the newsletter and that it helps you find a job in Germany.

⭐ Work for my day job and The Berlin Life has kept me super busy lately, so I don't have much new to report. We're having a Valentine's Day community event on Wednesday, which I'm really looking forward to attending. 💖

⭐ Read last week's newsletter: Inflation is Low, the AfD Wants a “Dexit” & Germany’s Most Expensive Cities - New citizenship laws passed another administrative marker. Munich isn’t Germany’s most expensive city like you may think. Bavaria wants to be the “California of Europe”. Inflation fell to its lowest point since 2021. The AfD doesn’t only want to deport immigrants – they want Germany to “Dexit”. ➡️ If you're new here, check out our news archives.

Food For Thought

Interesting articles about the art of looking for work, humourous memes, or other useful gems floating around the web.

⭐ There’s a lack of growth capital in Europe — Germany’s $1bn deeptech and climate tech fund wants to change that - The fund was launched one year ago and investments have been made in six different companies already. They will be investing in even more companies this year, particularly later-stage growth ones, so watch the climate-tech space for more potential job opportunities.

⭐ The Guide to Successful Living in Berlin - A fun guide of things to do and not do when you live in Berlin like go for a bike ride, speak German, and carry cash. All tried and true suggestions. 😃

⭐ A LinkedIn tip you might not know about from an executive resume writing pro, Jessica Hernandez. Follow her advice to stand out to employers on the platform.

⭐ Charlotte Forestier-Kieffer, a German immigration expert, demystifies the Schengen visa in one of her weekly round-ups.

Companies Hiring

German companies hiring right now. Give our page a follow on LinkedIn for even more job postings. 💪

⭐ Sunday | Berlin & Hamburg

⭐ Carbon Future | Freiburg

⭐ Shiftmove | Berlin

⭐ Homemeal | Berlin

⭐ init | Mainz, Hamburg, Leipzig

⭐ Elopage | Berlin

⭐ Achtung | Hamburg

⭐ myo | Berlin

German Startup News

German startups that recently received funding, were acquired, built up staff, etc., and could be good places to look for jobs.

⭐ Daedalus | Karlsruhe | Jobs

⭐ Kauz | Düsseldorf | Jobs

⭐ DUDE CHEM | Berlin | Jobs

News in Germany

All of the news in Germany.

⭐ Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble: Germany’s beer consumption continues to drop - Despite Oktoberfest and outdated stereotypes, Germans are less inclined to drink beer nowadays,

⭐ New Berlin semester Deutschlandticket will exclude certain students - "Continuing postgraduate, PhD, part-time students doing 50 percent hours or less and long-distance students will not be eligible for the ticket."

⭐ Germany: Is the Cologne Carnival still a man's world? - Germany's carnival season will wrap up this week, but even in 2024, Carnival is still very much a man's world. 🙄

⭐ Indian entrepreneur brings new snack to Germany - File this story under positive news that you just want to hear about right now and watch this lovely video about how one woman is bringing yummy (and healthy) Indian snacks to Germany.

⭐ How many people were caught riding without a ticket in Berlin in 2023? - Berlin's failure to implement a smart system that requires buying a ticket before boarding public transit continues to enable fare dodgers to get out of paying and puts people in prison when they rack up excessive fines. Meanwhile, critics decry Berlin's 'behind-the-times' transport policy.

⭐ Ingo the flamingo, the oldest animal at Berlin Zoo, dies - Dear Ingo passed away at the age of 75. 🥹

⭐ Gut vibes: The farm-to-table getaway of Gut Boltenhof - Looking to get out of Berlin for a spell? Head to Gut Boltenhof for good food and a farm stay.

⭐ German citizenship: What happens if I lose my job during the application process? - While this was not an issue before, coming changes to the immigration laws mean that if you're on social security, you will not be eligible for citizenship.

⭐ German minister announces plan for excise tax on meat - In a move that will outrage all the German sausage lovers out there, meat is about to get more expensive. Supposedly, the funds will be used to help farmers become more environmentally friendly. 🥩

⭐ Germany's Scholz pledges solidarity with migrant groups - Scholz stands with migrant groups and to the frustration of hard-core AfD fans who are convinced that it's all just one giant deep-state conspiracy (I've sparred with some of the nut-jobs on Twitter), he also supports the large protests that have been taking place across Germany recently.

⭐ Milk, dark, bitter, sweet: Where to buy chocolate in Berlin - It doesn't need to be Valentine's Day to buy good chocolate. Exberliner is back with another stellar round-up about where to go to buy good chocolate in Berlin.

⭐ Berlinale disinvites AfD politicians from the opening ceremony - When it was found out that Berlinale, the city's world-renowned and seriously prestigious film festival invited members of the AfD party to some of their celebrations, it didn't go down well. Even after the news became public, it took them way longer than it should have to disinvite them.

⭐ How to ensure you get your deposit back when you move out of your apartment - Unfortunately, some (not all) German landlords get picky (and mostly greedy) when their tenants move out and find all sorts of ways to withhold your deposit. This article offers some sound advice about how you can try to keep this from happening to you.

⭐ What to know about Berlin's unusual election rerun on Sunday - In a never-ending story of disfunction, Berlin is heading back to the polls AGAIN.

How We Can Help

The good stuff offered by the Berlin Life.

⭐ Get connected with other like-minded professionals in our community by adding yourself to our LinkedIn Connect and Exchange list. Chat with others in our Facebook and Slack community spaces. 🗣️

⭐ We offer career coaching and other services, as well as free guides to living, working, and moving to Berlin. Some of our more popular guides are:

See you next weekend! 👋

Founder @ The Berlin Life