Question Switching from Work Visa to Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) while on ALG 1 – Do benefits continue?

Hi everyone,

Has anyone transitioned from a standard Work Visa (or Blue Card) to the new Opportunity Card while actively receiving Arbeitslosengeld 1 (ALG 1)

My work visa is coming up for expiration while I'm on ALG 1. My main questions are:

Does the Agentur für Arbeit continue paying full ALG 1 once you switch to the Opportunity Card?

Does the Chancenkarte satisfy the "availability to the labor market" (Verfügbarkeit) requirement for ALG 1, or does the Agentur für Arbeit treat it differently than a job seeker visa ?

If anyone has gone through this exact transition recently or spoken with the Agentur für Arbeit / an immigration lawyer about this, I’d really appreciate your experience!

Thanks in advance!

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u/NoYu0901 3h ago edited 3h ago

Does the Chancenkarte satisfy the "availability to the labor market" (Verfügbarkeit)?

You can find posts about this, in those cases: No, because Chancekarte holders can work only up to 20 hours.

If you have worked rather long, have proofs that you improved your germang language, and got severe job interviews, you can send these proofs and try to request the extension for your buecard