The residence permit for employment in which there is a public interest, in particular a regional, economic or labor market policy interest, is issued for a limited period. It can be extended if the employment is to be continued beyond the period of validity of your residence permit.

Apply for the extension of your residence permit at the foreigners authority responsible for your place of residence at least eight weeks before the expiry of the time limit.

The same conditions apply to the extension as to the issuance. In particular, there should still be a public interest in your employment. A public interest in employment can be justified, for example,

• if there is a regional or supra-regional public interest in the products or services of an employer or if there is an undersupply of certain goods or services at the employer's location (regional interests). Supply or municipal policy reasons may also play a role here.
• if considerable investments and/or a significant number of jobs are created or secured; if the establishment of the enterprise is associated with a sustainable improvement in the sales or market opportunities of domestic enterprises or if it involves the establishment of a manufacturing plant for technically high-quality (future-proof) and/or particularly environmentally compatible products (economic interests).
• if the employment preserves or creates jobs (labor market policy interests).

The private economic, operational interest of an employer alone is not sufficient to establish a public interest in employment.

Your qualification is not decisive for the extension of your residence permit.

When your residence permit was first issued, the Federal Employment Agency gave its consent. If the validity of the consent has expired, it must be granted again for the extension of your residence permit.

Under certain circumstances, you were obliged to participate in an integration course when your residence permit was first issued. If this is the case, this must be taken into account when extending your residence permit. If you have not yet taken part in an integration course, the Foreigners' Registration Office may reject your application for an extension of your residence permit. If you have not yet completed the integration course, your residence permit will generally only be extended for one year at a time until you successfully complete it or provide proof that you have been integrated into social life in some other way.

In the case of an extension, your residence permit will be limited again. The duration of the time limit depends on the duration of your employment contract or the period of validity of the approval of the Federal Employment Agency.

As a rule, the residence permit cannot be extended if this was already ruled out when the residence permit was issued or last extended.