TL;DR Question: Do I need an unbefristet contract, or a minimum 1+ year contract? and, Do I need to meet the increased salary requirements for a blue card in 2026?

So I have all of these docs for Berlin:

  • German C1 (Gut bestanden 87/100)
    • I plan to submit a merged pdf of all C1 through A1
  • BlueCard (18g valid till 2028)
  • Leben in Deutschland (33/33)
  • Arbeitsvertrag (Employment Contract)
    • I plan to submit a merged pdf of all work contracts + email correspondence with the amt
  • Krankenversicherung (Public health insurance)
  • Salary Slips for last 21 months
  • Anmeldung, Wohnungsgeberbestatigung, Mietvertrag (Residency requirements)
  • Kontoauszuge (Proof of rent paid)
  • Versicherungsverlauf (Pension Insurance contributions)

I will get my 21st month of salary slip end of Jan, so I plan to apply as soon as I get it + arbeitgeberbescheinigung, but I have a couple of questions:

  1. Do I need an unbefristet contract, or a longer contract extension? I plan to apply in 02.26, My contract expires in 04.26. I have had an unbroken employment for the last ~24 months if you count the upcoming few. In the arbeitgeberbescheinigung I can ask my employer to mention that I work in an academic field, and that renewals are based on funding applications, this is a very common practice, and that they have a strong intent to renew the contract? Will this be good enough or do I need guaranteed extensions? If yes, then what is the minimum contract length? (e.g. these sources indicate yes, but I want to get more opinions) Does anyone have experience with this?
    1. I also have financial savings to prove I dont need financial aid, in case that is useful to mention somewhere. If yes, then where to do I mention this?
  2. Do I need to meet the increased salary requirements? My salary was above the general threshold when I got the blue card €48,300 , but now after the floor increase to €50,700, it is no longer above the general threshold but remains above the STEM threshold. My work is in STEM (AI Research/Software Development), and my job description clearly states this. This can also be mentioned in the arbeitgeberbescheignung. But does this need to be 'proven' somehow? Will this salary be a problem for the application? or are these requirements only for people who are trying to get a 'new' blue card?

Additionally, is there anything I am missing/forgetting to gather before I apply?

Thanks for any replies and help 🙂



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