Hi everyone,
I’m honestly a bit confused and stressed, so I’d really appreciate any experiences or insights.

I’m based in Düsseldorf and applied online for permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis).
I left my job on 31.12.2025 and have been unemployed since then. I do meet the formal requirements (Blue Card history, 21+ months pension contributions, B1 German, integration test, etc.), but because of my unemployment I was expecting the process to stall for a long time.

Surprisingly, today I received an appointment from the Ausländerbehörde for my permanent residence application.

What confuses me:
• The email looks completely system-generated
• No case officer name
• No contact person
• No list of documents to bring
• Just time, place, and a note saying it’s for the final review of my application

Now I’m wondering:
• Does getting this appointment mean my application already passed some kind of pre-check?
• Is it normal in Düsseldorf that they don’t list required documents and expect you to bring everything again?
• Will there usually be another email later with a document checklist?
• Has anyone here attended a permanent residence appointment while unemployed? Did it cause problems?
• Am I overthinking this, or is there something important I should prepare for?

The whole thing feels oddly “quiet”, which makes me nervous.

Any experiences (especially Düsseldorf / NRW) would really help.
Thanks a lot!



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Additional_Dish6423

6 comments

  2. They will ask proofs of employment (valid 2 weeks), you don’t have one, so most probably they will or issue you another termin when you will get a job, or they will reject you.

  3. Hey, not in Dusseldorf but in Hamburg we are asked to upload online and bring the most recent/up-to-date documents to the appointment. So no, you cannot get Permanent Residence while being unemployed.

  4. Normally, you are supposed to inform them after you left your job. Since you currently have no job and won’t be able to submit an updated Arbeit Bescheinigung, your application will most likely be put on hold.

  5. Go to the meeting anyway. However, you are unemployed now so your living situation is deemed unstable I guess.

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