Should you find a pink slip in your mailbox or discover your employer has gone belly up, there’s no need to panic as long as you’ve paid your unemployment insurance premiums for at least six months. This qualifies you for German unemployment benefit, which will pay you two-thirds of your salary for up to three years, depending on how long you’ve contributed to the system. Your residency permit will be extended for as long as you receive unemployment benefits. You’ll have to take the paperwork provided by your company during the layoff to the local Bundesagentur für Arbeit office and apply for aid. To find your local labour office, visit www.arbeitsagentur.de and enter your residential postcode into the form under Partner vor ort. Once approved, you’ll be called in for an interview and potentially offered positions out of the agency’s database. However, it’s more likely the caseworker will see you as an enigma and wish you all the best with your future.

If you know you’ll be laid off in advance, head to the labour office immediately or else they will delay your benefits for a tardy application. If you’ve worked for less than six months or are still in your probationary period, you’ll have to quickly find a new job because your residency permit expired along with your employment.