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Local Germany
22-07-2025
- General
- Local Germany
Expert tips for your next appointment at a German immigration office
Among the challenges of living in Germany as a foreigner is navigating appointments at the immigration office ( Ausländerbehörde ). Being confronted by immigration officers who seem all too eager to dismiss your case if your German is less than fluent, or if your paperwork is not perfectly in order, is a ubiquitous part of the foreign experience in Deutschland . Unpleasant as it may be, however, there's really no way to avoid at least a few trips to your local immigration authority. Especially in your first few years as a foreigner in Germany, you'll need to secure a residence permit there, and likely also change or renew your residence permit a couple more times before you become eligible for a less temporary solution (like permanent residence or citizenship). READ ALSO: What's the difference between German citizenship and residency? To make your life easier, you'll want to do your best to navigate appointments at the Ausländerbehörde as efficiently as possible and hopefully secure your visa in just one visit. Of course, that's easier said than done. The Local spoke with an immigration lawyer about her best tips for managing appointments at the immigration office. Here's her advice. Rita Lieder is a Berlin-based criminal defence and immigration lawyer. 'I help people apply for residency permits and also German citizenship,' she told The Local. A case worker takes the finger print of an applicant for a residence permit at a German immigration office. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Wolfram Kastl Lieder has had her share of frustrating experiences at Berlin's immigration office ( Landesamt für Einwanderung - LEA ). She recounted a recent case in which she helped a client apply for a residence permit for self-employment / freelance work. The client was a black man from the US who had previously had a decision on his visa deferred for a year despite being eligible for the residence permit. He was allowed to stay in Germany on a temporary stay permit ( Fiktionsbescheinigung ), but the residence permit he had applied for was withheld for reasons that were unclear to him. One year later, Lieder accompanied the man to a follow-up appointment with the goal of securing his residence permit. Lieder described sitting down with an immigration officer who seemed like he was immediately opposed to moving the case forward. 'The officer looked at me and he looked at my client, and just immediately said 'no, no, no,'' Lieder told The Local. 'My feeling was that he wasn't willing to look at the documents we had brought.' Advertisement According to Lieder, the officer tried multiple times to claim that something was missing from his application, whereas she was sure that her client met every requirement and had all of the documentation to prove it. READ ALSO: 'Traumatising' - Foreign residents share stories from German immigration offices 'I did my best to be polite,' she said, 'Because getting into a heated discussion is not the best strategy there…' Lieder highlighted a document showing that her client had a good work contract lined-up. She knew that the work offer was solid and that his other documents were in order – there would be no good reason, in her opinion, to reject his application. In the end, the officer did grant the client his residence permit, but not before pushing back about multiple requirements, each of which they had prepared documentation for. For anyone with an upcoming appointment at an immigration office in Germany, The Local asked Lieder to share a few best practices that may improve your chances of success. Tips for your next appointment at the immigration office: Advertisement 1) Bring support The experience Lieder described won't come as a surprise to many of Germany's long-term foreign residents, but it does highlight the value of having someone on your side who speaks fluent German and knows the rules. 'My perspective is that it's always better not to come alone,' Lieder said. 'I don't think everybody needs a lawyer, but bringing a friend or someone who speaks German is very important if you don't speak German yourself.' Newcomers in Germany might expect personnel at a German immigration authority to speak English or another language at a practical level, but that's not always the case. Having a German speaker with you can help avoid complications due to misunderstandings, or even wasting an appointment due to the language barrier. If possible, attending with someone who has a good understanding of immigration law is even better. Sometimes simply having someone who can push back, based on an understanding of the rules and your rights, is all it takes. Lieder added that if you aren't sure about your rights, the best case would be to bring a lawyer with you. 2) Be prepared It should go without saying that you'll want to double check you've got all of your documents in order before your appointment. Advertisement EXPLAINED: How to apply for a residency permit online in Berlin And in Germany, an extra paper or two never hurts. Along with the documents that the immigration office tells you to bring, you may want to bring anything else that supports your case. You can check the 'preconditions' or Voraussetzungen for the specific residence permit you are applying for here , and bring any documents that show you meet each of them. 'The law allows immigration officers to decide on things like the length of a visa depending on the case,' Lieder said. So the more evidence you can present as to the strength of your case, the better off you may be in the end. It's also advisable to bring records of your correspondence with the immigration office, such as the invitation to your appointment that you received in the mail, or any official notices that contain details about your case. In the aforementioned case, the immigration officer had asked Lieder's client to produce a printed photo despite a note on his appointment invitation which explicitly said not to bring physical photos. In this case, showing the letter helped them confirm that they had done everything as instructed. READ ALSO: 'Machines don't work!' - The problem of getting digital ID photos in Germany You may also want to bring a notebook and a pen in case you need to write something down. This has the bonus of making you appear more prepared, even if you don't end up needing it. View of the front of the Foreigners' Registration Office and the Public Order Office of Frankfurt am Main. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow 3) Be on time This one goes for just about every meeting in Germany, but the stakes are higher at the immigration office. 'Be 15 minutes early so that you have time to find the right room,' Lieder said. READ ALSO: Q&A - What are your rights while waiting for a German residence permit? Advertisement 4) Appear professional Think of your appointment at the Ausländerbehörde like a job interview – at the very least you want to look put together and professional. You don't need to wear a suit, but a nice shirt and slacks as opposed to a t-shirt and sweatpants is a good best practice. 'No shorts, no jeans with holes in them…don't wear hats inside or chew gum,' Lieder said. She added, 'It might appear superficial but those small things actually do matter I think." 5) Speak respectfully Being mindful that the officer across the desk from you has a fair amount of influence over your fate in this given moment, you'll want to make an effort to address them respectfully - or at least avoid coming across as disrespectful or argumentative. As a final tip, Lieder pointed out that the officers often have their names on a sign on their desk. 'It might help to read their name and address the officer respectfully by name,' Lieder said, 'Saying things like 'Herr Müller, thank you' for example.'
The Herald Scotland
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Trains, planes, raptors, and pianos. Tributes to polymath musician
Died: May 2, 2025 Elaine Gould, who has died aged 71, was a concert pianist who performed throughout the UK and Europe under her maiden name – most notably at the Mackintosh Queen's Cross Building in Glasgow where she received a standing ovation for her performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, a piece she went on to record. But she also, under her married name, Elaine Scott, had a surprisingly varied private life. She was born into a musical family. Her father was Morton Gould, referred to in his own Herald obituary as 'Glasgow's Mr Harpsichord, and her late mother was the composer Janetta Gould. Elaine and her two sisters, Valerie and Carol, all went on to train professionally as musicians. Elaine was a first study clarinettist but quickly switched to piano as her preferred instrument. In her early career she supplemented her meagre earnings with work as a technical editor but seeing a future in IT she obtained a second qualification in computing and this led to a full-time career in IT – rising to become an IT manager. Marriage to Peter, a lawyer but also a trained bass-baritone with whom she performed on several occasions, followed by birth of her daughter, Amanda Jane, a few years down the line led her to picking up her musical career and culminated in her being appointed president of the prestigious Edinburgh Society of Musicians. Her career almost ground to a halt in June 2007 when she shattered her right wrist in a freak accident. It was typical of her, however, that after multiple surgeries and extensive physiotherapy she returned to the concert platform less than a year later with a programme which took no prisoners. Somewhere in the middle of all this she had obtained a degree in pure mathematics as well as her Master of Music, become a skilled falconer who flew raptors in public display, learned to drive a stream train, flew a plane, showed Great Danes, steered a power boat, climbed the occasional mountain and tramped the length and breadth of Mull (as well as a few other islands including Barra). She slowed down a little when her beloved granddaughter Abigail Rachel-Lily, Abi for short, entered her life but it was a life sadly cut short by cancer and Elaine died within a few short months of her diagnosis. Although primarily a soloist – specialising in the works of Franz Liszt but with a broad repertoire ranging from Beethoven and Bartok to Schubert and Schumann – she partnered several clarinettists (having played most of the standard works herself as a clarinettist she was a sensitive and supportive partner). She also had a successful playing and recording partnership in Lieder with the late Lewis Allan (their performance of Dichterliebe being a particular joy). Her husband always maintained that he was a much better singer when accompanied by his wife – even though musical theatre was not altogether to her taste. In a tribute from the Edinburgh Society of Musicians, the governing council noted, with deep regret, the news that their president had died after a short but severe illness, bravely borne. Read more Jim Prime, widely admired keyboard lynchpin of Deacon Blue Sea captain who oversaw dramatic launches and rescues dies Tributes to senior figure in fire service whose great love was piping | The Herald Their company secretary reported that her presidency, which began in 2017, had seen the society grow and thrive with remarkable vigour, in a number of ways: in membership, in its programmes of recitals, in its reputation among young musicians as an important showcase for their talents, and in its service to music teachers and musical societies using its facilities. The crowning achievement of her time in office has perhaps been the accolade of royal patronage, bestowed through acceptance by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh of the role of patron of the society. Elaine brought enormous energy and commitment to the discharge of her presidential tasks, to which she applied her unusual combination of talents developed in a double career as both a senior business executive and an accomplished piano recitalist and teacher. With her husband Peter, also a member of council who for several years took on the heavy burden of combining the treasurer-ship and the secretary-ship of the society, she travelled through to Edinburgh from their home in Newton Mearns every Saturday during the society's 35-week recital season to introduce performers and lead brief post-recital conversations. Her leadership also brought the society, unharmed, through the major interruption of all its activities occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. Membership was kept alive by a weekly series of living-room recitals posted on YouTube and the performance salon was re-purposed as a streaming venue for musicians struggling to keep their careers alive. Where other music societies were in danger of going to the wall, the society, as a registered small business, was not only able to maintain a healthy bank balance but donate a five-figure sum to the Musician's Benevolent Fund for the relief of Scottish musicians who had lost their livelihoods. Elaine Gould is survived by her husband of 43 years, her daughter, her granddaughter, two step-daughters, three step-grandchildren and her two sisters. She also leaves behind a legacy of high achievement and a wealth of fond memories held by all who knew her. At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘He was a titan of of the music world – and my teacher': Benjamin Appl on Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau placed great value on punctuality. Whenever I drove up the driveway to his house on Lake Starnberg near Munich at precisely 10.25 am, the tall and smiling FiDi (as he was affectionately called by friends and colleagues) was already standing at the door. He was waiting for me under the large carved letters DFD above the front door. His bright, mischievous eyes made him appear youthful well into old age. Depending on his state of health, he either resolutely offered me his hand or just his elbow (something he did throughout his life to protect himself from infection). Then we started working, always promptly at 10.30am. Being mentored by Fischer-Dieskau is something I look back on today with the greatest gratitude. I was so fortunate to be his last pupil, and studied with him for three years, until his death in 2012 aged 86. The baritone revolutionised German art song like no other, exporting it all over the world after 1945, and contributing to the reconciliation of formerly hostile nations. Bernstein called him 'the most significant singer of the 20th century'. 'The world's greatest Lieder singer' said Time magazine. 'He was a revolutionary performer … [who] created a unity between text and music unlike few before or after him,' wrote Daniel Barenboim. To date, no singer has learned and recorded so much repertoire. Discog lists 1,004 releases, ranging from Bach to Britten and Haydn to Hindemith, alongside countless radio and TV broadcasts. Tom Ripley in the 1999 (but 50s-set) film The Talented Mr Ripley had Schubert records by Fischer-Dieskau in his luggage. I was 12 when I first heard Fischer-Dieskau's recording of Schubert's song cycle Winterreise. I was immediately captivated. It was only when I was much older that I was able to put into words why: it is his balance of language and music, his intellect and heart, sentimentality and objectivity. In the summer of 2009, as a young singer, I hesitantly signed up for a masterclass in Austria with Fischer-Dieskau, and so first met and got to know this titan of the music world. I was unsure whether I would meet his high standards. I had heard that he regularly removed students from the class if they were unable to implement his demanding instructions after only two attempts. But he immediately allayed my concerns and was kind and attentive. After completing the course, he offered me the opportunity to work with him privately. This is something I still pinch myself about even today, and it has been one of the greatest moments of my life and career. In the years that followed, I worked with him on every piece in my repertoire. I came to learn that when he felt safe in a protected space away from the public eye he was completely different to his public image, and I saw his loving, sensitive and melancholic sides. In addition to singing-technique and interpretation, we worked on stage presence, programming, understanding poetry and harmony, as well as how to interact with colleagues, promoters and audiences. It was the special atmosphere created in the room that has stayed with me to this day, more than individual instructions and details. A person very close to him later told me that while working with me, it took him back to his own first steps as a singer in the early days of his life, which were overshadowed by war and imprisonment. Fischer-Dieskau loved the UK and thought of it as his second home. During his long career, he did more than 70 concert tours here. His participation in the premiere of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in the newly rebuilt Coventry Cathedral was a particularly moving moment for him. It is clear from reading his diaries that he loved 'the light and relaxed spirit of the British', and he supported me greatly in my plan to continue my studies in London and to accept the offer of management from an English agency. For FiDi, it was not Schubert's Winterreise that played the greatest role in his artistic and personal life, but Brahms's Four Serious Songs. He sang these to family friends at home as a teenager, they were on his first released record, he programmed them in the first song recital after his return from being a prisoner of war, and finally sang them to Furtwängler, which changed his career. These are the songs that he associated most personally with the murdering of his disabled brother Martin by the Nazis. The third song, 'O death, how bitter you are,' took on a whole new dimension for him when his beloved first wife, Irmel, tragically lost her life in 1963 during the birth of their third son. He often called me several times a day to encourage me to start working on the Serious Songs. During the hours we spent on them, there were repeated moments of singing together, accompanied by my pianist. I often had the impression that he sang them knowing that it might be the last time for him. To have received his personal piano score of these songs with all of his markings is very special to me. The last time I met FiDi was just a few weeks before his death in May 2012. As I approached the house, I noticed that something was different: no one was waiting at the front door. When I entered, I found him asleep in an armchair in front of the piano. We worked on songs by Schubert that dealt with death and rebellion against the deity. Tears repeatedly came to his eyes as he asked questions about the meaning and value of his life. Despite all the unique highs of his career, for which he sacrificed almost everything, there were other, private aspects of his life that weighed heavily on his mind. When we said our final, warm goodbyes, I had a strong feeling that this might have been our last meeting. A few weeks later, I learned of his peaceful death. In preparation of celebrations of FiDi's centenary this year, over recent months, I have had the incredible opportunity to go through many of his documents, letters, diaries, notes and music. My album, To Dieter, will also include a 140-page book about him, featuring material I was given access to that has never been seen before. Many memories of him have been reawakened, impressions intensified, and other new characteristics of his multilayered, complex personality have come to light. In celebration of his centenary on 28 May, I have put together a special concert that attempts to reflect Fischer-Dieskau's personality in music and words, a personality that knew how to keep his professional and private lives strictly separate. He isolated himself from the public and accepted the risk of appearing arrogant or dismissive. This concert format, and a new album to accompany it, aim to honour the singer, but also the conductor, writer, teacher and painter, both musically and personally. Fischer-Dieskau still inspires young singers and pianists to believe that a love of art song can pave the way to a lifelong commitment to the most beautiful of all art forms. His singing was much more than just 'singing'; he opened up new repertoire and carried German art song out into the world. After the crimes committed by the National Socialists, he brought the beauty of German culture back to life for the involuntary German emigrants in New York, London and Tel Aviv (where he was the first German artist to perform after the second world war). His contribution to the reconciliation of once-hostile nations through art should not be underestimated. It is not an exaggeration to say that without Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, music history would have been different. Benjamin Appl celebrates the centenary of Dieter Fischer-Dieskau with concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on 2 March, St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, on 7 March and the Aldeburgh festival on 22 June. His album To Dieter is released on 30 May on Alpha Classics.
