Job Search in Germany for Nepali Graduates: A Practical Plan

A German degree gives you something a graduate applying from Kathmandu does not have: the right to stay in the country and look for work. After graduation you can get a residence permit for up to 18 months while you look for work, and during that time you may take any kind of job. The rules of that permit are in our guide to the post-study work permit. This post is about using those months well.

Start before your final exam

The best time to look for your first job is the last year of your degree, while you still have a student status and a university network around you.

• Working student jobs. A Werkstudent position in your field is the nearest thing to a trial run with an employer. As a rule you may work no more than 20 hours a week in it, even across several employers, according to TK's rules for employers.
• Student assistant jobs. Work as a research or teaching assistant at your university does not count towards your yearly working-day limit, which our post on the 140/280 day rule explains.
• Your thesis. A master's thesis written with a company puts you inside a team for several months. Ask your chair which companies it already works with.

Keep your residence status unbroken

Apply for the job-search permit at your local foreigners authority before your student permit expires. Berlin's immigration office, for example, takes the application online and sends a PDF confirmation that your current permit stays valid past its expiry date while your case is decided. That protection does not apply if your permit had already run out on the day you applied (Berlin service portal).

Two more conditions shape your search. Your living costs must be covered for the permit to be issued (Section 20 Residence Act). And the permit cannot be extended beyond 18 months; after that, only a permit for a different purpose is possible.

Where to look

• Jobsuche. The state employment agency's listing site covers jobs across Germany and lets you save searches.
• The Agentur fuer Arbeit's university teams. Local agencies run Hochschulteams that advise students and graduates on career entry, applications and interviews, free of charge. The Stuttgart team, for one, offers study and career counselling in English for international students.
• Your university's career service. Ask what it offers final-year students and recent graduates: CV checks, company fairs, alumni contacts.
• People. Former Werkstudent colleagues, your thesis supervisor, Nepali seniors already working in your field. Our post on networking in Germany covers how to approach them.

Write applications in German where you can. Even in English-language teams, a German cover letter shows you can cope with the office around you.

Which job turns into a work permit

Section 18b of the Residence Act gives a skilled worker with a university degree a residence permit for any qualified employment. The job does not have to be in your exact subject, but it has to be qualified work.

The EU Blue Card has salary thresholds, set for 2026 in a federal notice:

The lower line is the one that matters in your first job. How the permits compare, and the route to permanent residence, are in our skilled worker visa guide. If you studied computing, our post on IT jobs for Nepali graduates goes deeper into that market.

A month-by-month plan

Paying the rent while you search

Since you may take any job on this permit, a part-time or unrelated job can keep you afloat between applications. The mini-job earnings limit in 2026 is EUR 603 a month (Minijob-Zentrale). Our guide to part-time jobs lists the common options.