Route: vocational training (Ausbildung)

§ 16a AufenthG: contract, German B1, money, training pay, visa channel.

An Ausbildung is a 2-3.5 year vocational programme, usually dual (company plus vocational school). Legal basis: § 16a AufenthG. The Embassy in Nairobi lists vocational training among the categories handled by TLScontact: Visa and Embassy.

Requirements and money

• A training contract; German at B1 only if the training institution does not test the language itself (§ 16a (3), with § 2 (11) AufenthG).
• Living costs must be secured: €959 a month for training under § 16a, company-based and school-based (BAnz AT 29.08.2025 B1). Make it in Germany quotes practice values of €822 net / €1,048 gross for company-based training; not a statutory figure.
• Minimum training pay for contracts starting 2026: €724 / €854 / €977 / €1,014 in years 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 (BBiMindVergFBek 2026). For contracts starting in 2027 the first year rises to €764 (BIBB press release, 7 Oct 2026). Collective agreements often pay more.
• Side job: up to 20 hours a week (§ 16a (3)).
• Health care training (nursing): see the special rule if you live in a country on the WHO-based list; Kenya is not on it.

Searching for a place (§ 17)

The permit to look for a training place (§ 17 (1)) needs a school qualification that gives university access (in Germany or in the country where you earned it), age under 35, German at B1 and living costs of €992 plus 10 percent, i.e. €1,091 a month (§ 2 (3) S. 6 AufenthG). Application online via the consular services portal. Whether the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) counts as university access: not confirmed, see Study.

Employers and offers: Make it in Germany, BA. Never pay for a place: Avoiding scams.