Germany is slowly becoming one of the biggest destinations for Indians looking to continue their studies or to secure a job. Students and job aspirants from India are giving priority to Germany over other countries is the ease at which they can get to this part of the world. There are many aspects of Germany keeping it different than most of the abroad destinations. The German people are very supportive and welcoming to the young job aspirants. Life here at Germany is reasonably affordable in comparison to most of the other countries. From foods to the residence and the transport, everything is soundly economical. Indian students and jobseekers willing to make to Germany were not finding a lot of problems to get here until recently. 

The Growing Black Market for Visa Appointments for Germany

The unexpected and intolerable rise in black marketing of visa appointments has been a huge problem in recent times for Indian youngsters. The number of Indians looking to study or work in Germany is reasonably increasing, and hence there is an automatic increase in the number of visa appointments, but the issue is the number of visas from the German government is limited. Increase in visa appointments with lack of enough visa appointment slots led to the black marketing of German visas. 

Germany Was Safe from Black Marketing

Unlike other countries where Indians prefer to go like Australia, Canada, and the USA, Germany was completely safe from these types of frauds and scams until now. Indian students were going to Germany very easily without facing a lot of problems. Take a look at possible reasons for increasing black marketing in visa appointments for Germany. 

Some Possible Reasons for Rising in Black Marketing:

• More People are Interested:

There is already a large number of international students and workers in other countries like USA, Australia, and Canada, so Germany is becoming the new destinations for youngsters especially Indians. And the number of appointments for visas is almost the same as it was a couple of years ago. Increase in people looking for German visas led to the scarcity of available appointments and given rise to an increase in frauds and scams. 

• Lack of Management from German Ministry of External Affairs:

It is easy and straightforward to book an appointment for a visa. The applying candidates can book an appointment by providing their names only. They don’t need any other personal information for booking appointment. 

Fake consultants are misusing this easy process of application, and they book the appointments with different names, and booking slots are filled without the proper number of honest candidates. These hackers and fake consultants then look for desperate candidates trying to get visa appointments and try to offer appointments for a lot of money. Students have to pay huge amount of money for appointments, as they don’t get the appointment even after waiting for months. As they say, desperate times ask you to do crazy things, that’s exactly happening with students and job seekers. 

The German ministry of External affairs must look at its policy for accepting the visa applications. The concerned officials need to change the whole process of online application for visa appointments and should ask some basic details of the candidates like date of birth, contact details, education, qualification, and work experience, etc. It will be proved very handy to curb the incidence of black marketing in visa appointments. 

Tips to protect yourself from Fraudsters

Many people often fall prey to fraud and deceit. Below are a few points that will help you protect yourself from being a victim of fraudulent activity.

1. Many imposters and local agents pretend to represent the German Consulate Mumbai and pretend to ‘sell’ visas, cars, etc. for exorbitant sums of money. DO NOT BE FOOLED. THEY ARE FRAUDSTERS.   
2. Visas for Germany are issued ONLY at German Missions (e.g. Consulates and Embassies).
3. ALL visa appointments are handled ONLY by VFS and at NO COST!
4. No local agents or student counselors have the authority or are in a position to influence or schedule visa interviews/ appointments.
5. Indian citizens interested in employment opportunities abroad have received fake job offers from alleged German employers or agents. If you are looking for employment in Germany, please ensure that you are dealing with legitimate contacts.
6. Believe only the information you read on our official website and social media pages.
7. Always cross-verify the authenticity of ‘news’ or an email received by calling us or emailing us.
8. Refrain from giving out personal details such as passport number, date of birth, etc. to any third party.
9. DO NOT indulge in any financial transactions with any third person or party claiming to represent the German Consulate Mumbai.   
10. Be vigilant and stay alert.

Dos and Don’ts at the Time of Visa Application

These are some simple steps you can follow to get the visa appointment successfully and save yourself from fraud and scams. 

• Wake Up Early in the Morning:

If you want to book an appointment for a visa successfully, try it early in the morning. 4:00 IST is the ideal time for application as the German Officials reopen and refresh the appointments usually at 4:00 IS. If you are sitting at your PC a little before 4:00 IST, you have great chances of successfully booking an appointment. 

• Don’t Book if You Are Not Sure About Immediate Future:

Only book for an appointment if you are a hundred percent sure about making to Germany. If there is any uncertainty over your departure in recent future, plan your efforts of the application according to it. There is no point in wasting a slot by getting an appointment and not going on the fixed schedule. There might be multiple reasons for your delay including lack of budget, lack of required marks, lack of working experience, etc. Be nice, book an appointment only when you need it, otherwise, keep it vacant for someone else more ready and desperate than you. 

• Don’t Get Trapped with Fake Consultants:

The application for the visa appointment is very easy and straightforward. More importantly, it doesn’t cost you anything. If you get a call, message, or an email asking for some money, beware of that and don’t get trapped. 

• Contact Quickly to Ministry of External Affairs:

Gone are the days when you had to write letters and had to wait for a couple of weeks for the reply. Nowadays, you can easily be in touch with any ministry of India even Germany. Tweet your problems and incidence you’ve faced, and mention both Indian and German ministries of external affairs. 

Disclaimer

This write up is penned for students and job seekers looking to get settled in Germany. The writer, the “Bharat in Germany” or onlinemacha.com team is not associated with Indian or German Ministries of external affairs by any mean. The blog is only for help and assistance to the students and to curb the frauds and scams; there is no intention to disrespect any of the ministries of India or Germany. 

Source: India Diplo German Mission, Bharat in Germany