EP Question - Prior Work Visa

[UMichGrad]

Hi All,

I have a job that I have accepted and I'm working on the EP application. I worked in Germany for a ~3 month period (less than 90 days) back in 2005. Original intent was for me to be there for 6 months which would have required a work visa, but Americans can work for up to 90 days and apply for the visa or residence after already working up to the 90 day period. I went back to the USA short of the 6 month stay because of office politics (long story, irrelevant to the question). I honestly can't recall if I had a work visa issued to me or not as my HR department was handling all of the paperwork and I obviously did not keep a good paper trail back when I was 22 years old (or lost my files).

MOM asks if you have ever received a work visa in another country. I don't know how to answer this, and everyone who worked at my previous company from over 10 years ago are long gone. I may have received a work visa, or it is possible I went back before the process/paperwork was ever submitted/completed. Any guidance? I don't want to come off as dishonest as I have nothing to hide, I just truly don't know.

Thanks in advance!

[American]

If you want to play it safe, you should email the MoM and ask them how to handle the situation. Keep your email short and sweet, something like you worked in Germany many years ago and cannot recall if your company issued you a work visa or not since you never received any WP ID from them. Or you can ask MoM how to handle the situation where you no longer have the work visa ID no, but did have a DE work visa in the past. MoM is quite responsive on email.

Also I doubt there's some global database that lists each and every single person's EU work visa status from that MoM would have immediate access to. In any case, have you even tried contacting the DE Immigration authority to find out if you ever had one? Don't be lazy now, and make an effort to find out with the official EU authority your previous status if it's truly a concern!

I always err on the side of conservativism personally, and if I tried everything I could to find the old DE WP no but still came up short, I would disclose this in my EP app.

Now the other question is just how many Hefeweizens did you knock down in 2005?? If you can't recall filling in any paperwork for a DE Visa, and you can't recall going in and taking a photo and getting your EU work pass ID, chances are you probably didn't get a work visa there. In my younger days I was in a similar situation as you, my HR had 1 more step to finalize my WP in a foreign country but I never went in to take my picture so it never got activated, in which case the answer is NO - I wasn't issued a WP.

[UMichGrad]

Thanks for the reply. I remember the paperwork being filled out by my HR department but you are correct, I would have remembered if I had a picture taken over there or any other processing. I don't think I officially received the work permit. I submitted my portion of the EP application to my head hunter saying I did yesterday. I have already wrote her explaining the error and that I don't believe that I did actually receive a work permit after thinking some more. Hopefully she hasn't submitted the application yet.