EU/NON-EU COUPLE NEEDS ADVICE REGARDING GERMANY!

[srj]

Hello everyone, came across this forum which seems to be exactly what I need right now! I'm a Danish girl with an American/Brazilian boyfriend, currently travelling back and forth to New York, where he is living. We want a life together in Europe, and plan to get married in the US in the spring. After much research, to me it seems Germany,first choice Berlin that is, would be a great place for us to settle down. Therefore, I'm looking for advice or stories from people who made a similar move. Anything is more than welcome
If anyone knows a forum that's specifically about immigration in Germany, and the situation for EU-nationals and non-EU spouses, that would be amazing! Thanks in advance!

[Prawo]

If you know German: www.info4alien.de

But be careful, they are very "Behördenfreundlich" and Germans do not always like to apply EU law correctly.

[srj]

Thank you, my German needs a bit improvement still, but I'll look it through carefully. How is it with the German authorities and EU law?

[Wanderer]

berlin is nice i love it, but i dont see too many jobs, maybe cos it's too far east.

U need to speak German.

[srj]

Yes I love Berlin too, that's why we want to go there. I'll be studying from September, hopefully, therefore I'm starting already now to take German lessons. I will look for a parttime job and my significant other will try to find something too. Have you found jobs in Berlin yourselves?

[Prawo]

Keep in mind Germans think they can impose a language test on the non EU partner.

Which is not correct, of course.

But try to avoid applying for the family reunification visa, if your partner is a visa national.
Just enter the country as a tourist and arrange everything when you are in.
At least you are together, should they make things complicated.

[srj]

Oh thank you, this is exactly the things that are good to hear. Do you think it's easier to wait with the marriage until my boyfriend is in Germany on a tourist-visa? Or should we still marry before?

[srj]

As I see it, we have different options:
I'll get settled in Germany, and get my residence permit, and then we'll:

Get married in the US in the spring, and apply for a visa for him as my spouse, and then the residence permit once he's in Germany.

Or he goes to Germany as a student, we marry while he's there, and then apply for the residence permit.

From anyone who knows about this, which way is the easiest?

And then, as a third option, is it possible at all to apply for a family-based residence permit, if you're in Germany as a visa-free tourist (my boyfriend is american)? Or is it violating the use of the visa-free entry to the country?

It's a big step to take, to move country, and we both wanna do it in the most practical and secure way.