Several dog snacks from Dog’s Nature GmbH are being recalled due to Salmonella contamination. Kaufland and Norma sell these dog snacks. If you bought one recently, you can return it even without a receipt. [1]
Germany reintroduced the EV subsidy. If your family income is less than 90,000€ and you have children, you are eligible for a subsidy of up to €6,000. You can learn more about EV subsidies here.
With a changing political environment, being prepared is more of a necessity than a luxury. More on it later.
Hopeless Bueraucratic Loop
One of the subscribers recently shared their situation about dealing with the immigration authorities. If you are in a similar situation, it might help.
Situation
Once you find a job in Germany, you need a valid visa to start working. Similarly, to get a valid visa, you need a job contract. You are in a chicken-and-egg problem here.
To make the situation worse, getting a visa (e.g., blue card) in cities like Munich usually takes 4-6 months.
Many employers don't want to wait for 4-6 months for you to join. Hence, they move forward with another candidate.
The result is that you don't have a job, hence you aren't eligible for the visa, such as a blue card.
This loop continues unless
The employer is willing to wait for 4 to 6 months.
The employer applies for a visa on your behalf.
You hire a lawyer and sue the authority.
What can you do to break the loop?
1) Explain your situation to the employer
Once you clear the interview and recieve an offer, explain your visa situation and the time it takes for immigration authorities to process. Explain to your employer the bureaucratic loop, and you cannot break it without their cooperation.
2) Ask your employer to initiate a fast-track visa process.
This applies only to skilled workers. In this situation, your employer applies for a visa on your behalf.
You can check with your employer to see if they are aware of this process and willing to initiate it for you. You can learn more about this process here.
Under the law, authorities must process your application within 2 months after receiving all required documents. However, in reality, it may take longer.
3) File a provisional injunctive relief.
You need to hire a lawyer for this process. It will cost you up to 1000€.
This is the fastest option to get your visa. However, you can file provisional injunctive relief only in emergency situations. And it's up to the courts to decide whether your situation is an emergency.
Usually, having a letter and an employment contract from your future employer stating that you'll not get the job if you can't submit a valid visa by a deadline is considered an emergency.
Best-case scenario: If the court accepts your situation as an emergency, you'll get a provisional visa from the court within 2 weeks (assuming you meet the requirements). You can start your job with this provisional visa. The authorities can take their time to issue the visa.
Worst-case scenario: If the court doesn't consider your situation as an emergency, the court will reject your claim and ask you to proceed like a normal case. This means you are back to square one and must wait for the authorities to process your application.
NOTE: The chances of getting your legal fees back after winning the provisional injunctive relief are very low.
If you are in a similar situation and looking for an immigration lawyer, you can check with LegalWeg.
Disclaimer: GermanPedia founder is also the co-founder of LegalWeg.
Why does Merz want to get rid of sick notes on the phone?
German employers are complaining about the recent increase in sick leave [1].
In 2021, the average sick leave was 11.2 days. However, it has increased to 14.8 days (2022), 15.1 days (2023), and 14.8 days (2024). Merz claims this is too high and links it to stalled economic growth since 2022. [2, 3]
According to the German Economic Institute (IW) (employer-affiliated), employers paid around €82 billion in sick leave costs in 2024. This is equal to German defence spending.
Who is to blame?
Merz blames the option to get a sick note on the phone for the rise in average sick days. The option to get a sick note via phone was introduced during the COVID pandemic to curb the spread of infection. It was made permanent in 2023.
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Official government sources (highlighted in green color).
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We think it's vital to reiterate those learnings today.
Understand Where You Are in the Cycle: We are in late Stage 5 of the world order. It's marked by high debt, wealth gaps, political infighting, and a challenged reserve currency (Dollar).
Diversify to Manage Risk: In late Stage 5, you can expect economic instability and currency devaluation. Ray advises spreading assets across geographies, currencies, and asset classes (gold, stocks, bonds). This allows you to hedge against the financial turmoil of a declining empire (the US).
Focus on Productivity Over Debt: You and the nation should prioritize earning more than you spend. In Stage 5, debt burdens cripple a nation. So, everyone should focus on boosting real productivity (skills, innovation).
Build Resilience Through Self-Sufficiency: Dalio suggests strengthening personal savings, skills, and national manufacturing.
Prepare for Currency Shifts: With the reserve currency weakening (the Dollar losing trust), expect inflation or currency devaluation. Dalio recommends holding assets that retain value (gold, commodities).
Stay Flexible and Adaptive: Dalio advocates stress-testing plans (e.g., “What if the dollar crashes?”). Stay open to radical change, i.e., relocating, rethinking investments, etc.
Learn from History: Base decisions on data and past cycles (e.g., Britain’s fall, America’s rise), not wishful thinking. You should study the decline of the Dutch or British empire for clarity.
There are some concrete steps you can take.
Rebalance your portfolio: The portfolios of many investors are dominated by US assets (MSCI World, S&P500 ETFs). If this is also true of your portfolio, consider rebalancing and reducing the U.S. share.
Diversify: Diversify your asset class and geography. This means your portfolio should consist of a mix of stocks, gold, and bonds. Plus, it's distributed across geography, that is, the US, Europe, and Asia. The best way to achieve it is by investing in ETFs. You can compare different trading accounts here.
If possible, consider opening a trading account in your home country as well.
Invest in real estate. Another asset in your portfolio is real estate. You can either invest in REITs or buy a physical property. Learn more about how to buy a property in Germany here.
NOTE: This is not financial or investment advice. GermanPedia never offers such advice. You should do your research before making an investment decision.
Income distribution in Germany?
78.7% of people in Germany earn less than 60,000€ gross annually. Only 4.7% of people earn more than 125,000€ gross annually.
The good news is that the number of people earning more has increased since 2023.
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Germany and Italy signed agreements to strengthen security cooperation. Merz emphasized Europe's commitment to Arctic security and NATO preservation. [1]
Employers’ associations and craft businesses oppose increasing the minimum wage to 15€ per hour. They also opposed the proposal of amending the Minimum Wage Act to require that the minimum wage must not fall below 60% of the gross median wage of full‑time workers. According to the employer's association, the minimum wage should be determined by productivity and workers' capabilities, not as a social policy. [2]
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New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your personal referral link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE] Important changes European wholesale gas prices jumped about 20% within a week. This is due to cold weather, rapidly declining storage levels, and new geopolitical risks around Iran and global LNG flows. You may expect a big heating bill if the prices continue to rise. [1] Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec...
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your personal referral link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE] Important changes Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums each public insurer will charge in 2026 here. You can also use our calculator to check your 2026 costs and the savings potential by switching to a more affordable provider. More on it later. We summarized...
New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your personal referral link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE] Important changes Public health insurance companies announced the premium increases on 23 Dec 2025. We have updated our guide and listed the premiums each public insurer will charge in 2026 here. You can also use our calculator to check your 2026 costs and the savings potential by switching to a more affordable provider. More on it later. We summarized...
