To all ze Germans (question regarding BBG)

[ronypete]

Hey fellas, in order to be able to to keep the German citizenship when getting the Canadian one I'm applying for the BBG. I'm a little confused about one sentence in the Public employment act. I'm wanting to apply for jobs in the federal government which usually gives priority to citizens but is that maybe different nowadays?
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-33.01/page-5.html#h-16

point (c) is kinda confusing to me. Does that mean non citizens are also preferred? Don't really get that sentence.
"(c) a Canadian citizen, within the meaning of the Citizenship Act, in any case where a person who is not a Canadian citizen is also a candidate."

 

[zardoz]

Hey fellas, in order to be able to to keep the German citizenship when getting the Canadian one I'm applying for the BBG. I'm a little confused about one sentence in the Public employment act. I'm wanting to apply for jobs in the federal government which usually gives priority to citizens but is that maybe different nowadays?
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-33.01/page-5.html#h-16

point (c) is kinda confusing to me. Does that mean non citizens are also preferred? Don't really get that sentence.
"(c) a Canadian citizen, within the meaning of the Citizenship Act, in any case where a person who is not a Canadian citizen is also a candidate."

No. It means that if a non-citizen is competing for the same position, the citizen gets priority.

 

[ronypete]

thanks, that's what I thinking. Good to hear that from a native speaker

 

[Stef.]

Good luck with your application zur Beibehaltung der Deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft. I went through the process successfully last year and it took three months. Just make sure you argue your case thoroughly and attach proof!

 

[dreamgarfield]

You want to use a public job as a reason to keep the German citizenship?

 

[Officer Green]

Hey fellas, in order to be able to to keep the German citizenship when getting the Canadian one I'm applying for the BBG. I'm a little confused about one sentence in the Public employment act. I'm wanting to apply for jobs in the federal government which usually gives priority to citizens but is that maybe different nowadays?
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-33.01/page-5.html#h-16

Do you think they will be happy to know that you want to work for the government jobs and want BBG for that?
Probably @Stef. may have better idea, however as I heard many people claim that they need the Canadian citizenship so that it makes them easier to cross the border for business/regular job purposes. I was told in some cases it may take quite long. The people who have obtain this may shed more light on it.

 

[spyfy]

Do you think they will be happy to know that you want to work for the government jobs and want BBG for that?
Probably @Stef. may have better idea, however as I heard many people claim that they need the Canadian citizenship so that it makes them easier to cross the border for business/regular job purposes. I was told in some cases it may take quite long. The people who have obtain this may shed more light on it.

I obtained it, too (just received by BBG about a month ago, in the middle of filing my Canadian application now).

In fact, my main point was that for government jobs, Canadian citizens are preferred. It went so far that I actually got a letter of refusal specifically stating that my application can't be considered any further because I am not a Canadian citizen. At the German consulate, they said that this alone is enough reason to get the BBG. Still, as Stef points out, it's important to make your case, attach as much proof as possible and of course it must be plausible that you are at least generally interested in those jobs, based on your education and experience etc.

Please note that generally speaking, based on what I read in other forums, BBG applications through the Toronto consulate make it to Cologne much faster than the applications on the American side. Here is my rought timeline:

- Applied at the Toronto consulate (in person) mid-July 2017
- In September, I sent an email to Cologne and asked what the current status is. They told me that my application arrived in Cologne early August and that it should be my turn for processing around mid-November.
- Early December, I received the letter from the Consulate in Toronto that I can pick up my BBG which I did the next day (after paying the fees online).

So in my case, we are talking about 4.5 months total.

Note the fast process from submitting in Toronto to the file arriving in Cologne. In the US, at the moment, it can take several months before the file reaches Cologne. Just wanted to point that out because a lot of the processing time examples are by people who apply from the US and take longer.

 

[Officer Green]

I obtained it, too (just received by BBG about a month ago, in the middle of filing my Canadian application now).

In fact, my main point was that for government jobs, Canadian citizens are preferred. It went so far that I actually got a letter of refusal specifically stating that my application can't be considered any further because I am not a Canadian citizen. At the German consulate, they said that this alone is enough reason to get the BBG. Still, as Stef points out, it's important to make your case, attach as much proof as possible and of course it must be plausible that you are at least generally interested in those jobs, based on your education and experience etc.

Please note that generally speaking, based on what I read in other forums, BBG applications through the Toronto consulate make it to Cologne much faster than the applications on the American side. Here is my rought timeline:

- Applied at the Toronto consulate (in person) mid-July 2017
- In September, I sent an email to Cologne and asked what the current status is. They told me that my application arrived in Cologne early August and that it should be my turn for processing around mid-November.
- Early December, I received the letter from the Consulate in Toronto that I can pick up my BBG which I did the next day (after paying the fees online).

So in my case, we are talking about 4.5 months total.

Note the fast process from submitting in Toronto to the file arriving in Cologne. In the US, at the moment, it can take several months before the file reaches Cologne. Just wanted to point that out because a lot of the processing time examples are by people who apply from the US and take longer.

Thanks, very useful info. By the way, dropped the idea for now and not going for it now. The consulate (honorary consulate) where I talked told it has taken up to 2 years for some people as well as required some sort of telephone interview.

 

[spyfy]

Thanks, very useful info. By the way, dropped the idea for now and not going for it now. The consulate (honorary consulate) where I talked told it has taken up to 2 years for some people as well as required some sort of telephone interview.

That is very abstruse information. I would encourage you to call the Consulate General in Toronto. They actually know what they are doing and handle these cases daily. A Honorary Consul barely ever sees one of these cases and only has anecdotal evidence. Most importantly, honorary consuls are not professional diplomats or professional bureaucrats, they are volunteers who are paid a small salary to do that job on the side.

That "up to 2 years" figure is definitely wrong. The website of the consulate general and the Bundesverwaltungsamt clearly state 3-6 months.

There is a yahoo group called zweipaesse which is full of success stories and confirms that it only takes some months.

 

[spyfy]

Thanks, very useful info. By the way, dropped the idea for now and not going for it now. The consulate (honorary consulate) where I talked told it has taken up to 2 years for some people as well as required some sort of telephone interview.

Here's the link to the group

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/zweipaesse/info

 

[technic]

Thanks for creating this thread.

My wife is German citizen. After our she moved to Canada and we have lived in Canada since.

We have a kid who is German national and Canadian by Birth. She does not work. What would be the best case to apply for BBG in this scenario?

Any comments will be appreciated.

 

[Stef.]

First of all, the longer you have lived in Canada the easier it gets as the German government understands that for your full integration into the Canadian society you want to become a Canadian citizen.

This is usually the case after 10 years. If you have not lived for around ten years in Canada you really need to argue your case thoroughly as the German government principally does not “like” dual citizenship.

I had already lived in Canada for 9 years before I applied for Beibehaltung der Deutschen Staatsbürgerschaft.

My main reasons were:
1. Job offer from the US, that requires regular, spontaneous traveling to the US, but based in Canada. Attached proof of job offer and that this job requires me to be able to travel a lot to US

2. I could proof my strong involvement in political party volunteer work and that I finally wanted to be able to vote and to be selected for some official work

3. Proof that I have been involved in the parents guild of my kids’ school for many years but have never been allowed to vote for school counsillors.

You also have to show strong links to Germany.
1. Proof of family members still living there
2. Proof of existing German bank accounts
3. Proof of Rentenansprüche in Germany
4. Telephone records with calls to Germany
5. Travel tickets to Germany
6. Property in Germany

I sent my application to Toronto. You need to make a copy of everything and sent two versions as one will stay in Toronto and the other one will be send to Germany.

The more professional you do this, for example number all your attachments, include a list of your attachments...the better your chances!

Toronto will pass on your copies with a recommendation. So you need to convince Toronto.

In my case it took exactly three months.

Best of luck and do not forget: you need your certificate of Beibehaltungsgenehmigung BEFORE you apply for citizenship.

 

[spyfy]

Thanks for creating this thread.

My wife is German citizen. After our she moved to Canada and we have lived in Canada since.

We have a kid who is German national and Canadian by Birth. She does not work. What would be the best case to apply for BBG in this scenario?

Any comments will be appreciated.

Stef explained most of it above. For my case, see earlier posts. Just wanted to add the info that at the time I applied for the BBG, I only had lived in Canada for five years, two of them as a PR. So while it is definitely true what Stef says that it gets easier the longer you've been in Canada, it can still work with less time in Canada.

As Stef says: you have to convince Toronto. When I dropped off my application (I live in TO so that was easy) I had the feeling that my very well-sorted file really helped, just as Stef said: be organized. Them German offices love attachment numbers, itemized lists, etc.

 

[Stef.]

I forgot to add an important point: when you argue why you need the Canadian citizenship, you need to find arguments that do not (!) apply to ALL Germans.
So, for instance you cannot argue that you would like to be able to cross the border easier as this would apply to all Germans.
You need to find arguments that put you personally in a disadvantage over Canadians. Best really is the job argument as without the Canadian passport it does not allow you to take the job and therefore you will lose possible income.

 

[andienzen]

I obtained it, too (just received by BBG about a month ago, in the middle of filing my Canadian application now).

In fact, my main point was that for government jobs, Canadian citizens are preferred. It went so far that I actually got a letter of refusal specifically stating that my application can't be considered any further because I am not a Canadian citizen. At the German consulate, they said that this alone is enough reason to get the BBG. Still, as Stef points out, it's important to make your case, attach as much proof as possible and of course it must be plausible that you are at least generally interested in those jobs, based on your education and experience etc.

Please note that generally speaking, based on what I read in other forums, BBG applications through the Toronto consulate make it to Cologne much faster than the applications on the American side. Here is my rought timeline:

- Applied at the Toronto consulate (in person) mid-July 2017
- In September, I sent an email to Cologne and asked what the current status is. They told me that my application arrived in Cologne early August and that it should be my turn for processing around mid-November.
- Early December, I received the letter from the Consulate in Toronto that I can pick up my BBG which I did the next day (after paying the fees online).

So in my case, we are talking about 4.5 months total.

Note the fast process from submitting in Toronto to the file arriving in Cologne. In the US, at the moment, it can take several months before the file reaches Cologne. Just wanted to point that out because a lot of the processing time examples are by people who apply from the US and take longer.

Just out of curiosity: Did go through the whole hiring process (interview, etc.) before getting rejected or did they just send you the refusal letter right away after you sent your job application?