Your journey, in eight steps.
Nothing handed to luck.
From requesting your review to your arrival — here is exactly what happens, what Velai does, and what we ask of you. No black boxes, no vague promises.
Nothing to pay to join, be reviewed or interview · You see every cost in writing before you sign anything · One named account manager owns the path
- 01Profile
- 02Vetting
- 03Matching
- 04Interview
- 05Offer
- 06Visa
- 07Germany
- 08Onboarding
Every step, in full.
Each stage below shows what happens, what Velai does, and what we ask of you.
Profile
What happens
You request a review; when we invite you, you create your Velai profile.
What Velai does
- Reviews your profile for completeness and honest expectations
- Checks your degree's recognition status (Anabin / ZAB) early
What you do
- Share real documents — degree certificates, experience letters
- State your true constraints: notice period, family plans, salary expectations
Vetting
What happens
A conversation with your account manager — real talk about your experience, your documents and what German employers will ask. Velai vets you the way employers will.
What Velai does
- Runs the vetting call and verifies experience, degree status and readiness
- Advises on the recognition path if your degree needs a ZAB evaluation
What you do
- Join the call prepared — questions are welcome
- Follow through on the checklist your account manager gives you
Matching
What happens
Your profile is matched against open, on-site roles at vetted German employers. You see each role — company, city, tasks, salary — before your profile is shared.
What Velai does
- Matches your profile and explains why a role fits — or doesn't
- Your name and details are shown to an employer only after you apply or accept an invitation.
What you do
- Decide role by role — a yes is real interest, a no costs nothing
- Ask everything now — it's the cheapest moment to ask
Interview
What happens
Interviews with the employer happen by video, scheduled around your working week — with preparation before and feedback after, either way.
What Velai does
- Prepares you for the team, the role and the interview style
- Coordinates scheduling and joins the first minutes as support
What you do
- Show up as the professional you are — questions beat performance
- Tell your account manager honestly how it went; feedback flows both ways
Offer
What happens
A written offer lands: salary, start date, relocation package, contract terms. Everything is on paper, nothing verbal-only.
What Velai does
- Walks you through every line before you sign
- Coordinates signatures and the employer's paperwork
What you do
- Read, ask, compare with your expectations
- Sign when it is genuinely right for you
Visa
What happens
With your contract in hand, the visa process starts: degree recognition if still needed, the application itself, and the embassy appointment. The authorities set the processing times — your account manager maps a realistic schedule for your case and keeps the 12-step relocation plan current.
What Velai does
- Coordinates degree recognition, visa application and embassy appointment prep
- Keeps you and the employer on one realistic, updated schedule
What you do
- Provide documents promptly and attend appointments prepared
- Keep your passport and personal documents current
Germany
What happens
Relocation support such as German courses, flights or temporary housing is agreed per employer and written into your offer. The first weeks are practical: city registration (Anmeldung), bank account, health insurance, tax ID — your account manager coordinates each one with you.
What Velai does
- Coordinates Anmeldung, bank account, health insurance and tax ID
- Relocation support such as German courses, flights or temporary housing is agreed per employer and written into your offer.
What you do
- Land, register, breathe — then follow the arrival checklist
- Start the language course — it pays off faster than you think
Onboarding
What happens
Your first working day. Your employer runs the technical onboarding; your account manager stays your contact through arrival and onboarding.
What Velai does
- Your account manager stays your contact through arrival and onboarding.
- Helps with everyday frictions — paperwork, appointments, misunderstandings
What you do
- Give the job your attention; give your account manager your questions
- Tell us what would have helped you earlier — the next professional benefits
Authorities set the pace. We set the plan.
Anyone who promises you a visa date is guessing. Here is what we can honestly commit to.
A realistic schedule, not a fantasy
Processing times are set by the authorities and vary by case and season. Your account manager maps a realistic schedule for your situation — and updates it as things move, so you and your employer always see the same plan.
See the 12-step relocation timelineWhat your account manager coordinates
- Degree recognition (Anerkennung / ZAB)
- The visa application itself
- Embassy appointment preparation
- Relocation support such as German courses, flights or temporary housing is agreed per employer and written into your offer.
Bringing your family
Spouse and children can often join through Family Reunification (Familiennachzug) — a real option worth planning early, because it affects housing, insurance and documents. Your account manager advises on family reunification for your case; individual cases differ, so nothing here is one-size-fits-all.
Indicative — not legal advice; confirm with official sources or your account manager.
Landing is step seven. Settling in is the point.
The relocation plan doesn't end at the airport. Here is what the first weeks cover.
Anmeldung — city registration
Registering your address at the Bürgeramt; it unlocks everything else. Your account manager coordinates the appointment and the landlord's confirmation.
Bank account
A German account for salary and everyday life — set up with guidance, not trial and error.
Health insurance
Statutory or private — chosen for your situation and active before your first working day.
Tax ID
Your tax identification number arrives by post; your employer needs it for payroll. It sits on the checklist like everything else.
Onboarding at work
Your employer runs the technical onboarding — tools, team, first tasks. We make sure nothing administrative blocks it.
Language courses
Relocation support such as German courses, flights or temporary housing is agreed per employer and written into your offer.
Will someone actually help me? Yes — by name.
Software is good at tracking. But relocation is humans: a ZAB officer, an embassy clerk, a landlord who wants the form signed in a particular way. That's why every Velai professional has one named account manager, a real person who stays with you at every stage.
- One person owns your journey from vetting to onboarding — not a queue.
- You talk to the same person at every stage — by email, phone or video.
- Reminders, checklists and status tracking run in the product. Your account manager handles everything that needs judgement: documents, signatures, special situations.
A real person reads every profile. Velai is run from Germany by people who made the move themselves.
Kadadsan Kanagasingam
Managing Director, Kilum Automation & Service GmbH
Tell us about your work in a few questions. A real person reads every profile, and the other seven steps you don't walk alone.
Request my review
Step one takes a few minutes.
Tell us about your work in a few questions. A real person reads every profile, and the other seven steps you don't walk alone.
Request my review