Grace Ochieng (not her real name) began the visa application process a year ago to come study in Germany.

"And then the insanity with the visa started," she tells DW.

She already spoke German but that did not help the 26-year-old Kenyan navigate the maze of German bureaucracy.

Despite holding a scholarship for her studies in International Relations, a student job confirmed and a thick folder full of documents, it took two months for her to get the necessary visa.

"It should not be this way. It took an enormous toll on me and the start of my studies. Because of the visa process, some people don't make it here," she said.

Grace's friend meanwhile ran into even bigger hurdles: her visa for a semester abroad got stuck in a bureaucratic quagmire until half of that semester was already gone — and with it the chance to study in Germany.

"It's not so much the visa process that is so exhausting," Grace tells DW. "It's mostly the communication. When you call the German embassy, they don't answer. When you write emails, they don't reply. You're constantly holding your breath because you never know if they are going to say 'yes' or 'no.'"

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Grace is not alone in her uphill battle against Germany's red-tape for foreigners: Teresia Träutlein came to Germany in 2007 as an au-pair.

Back then, she didn't only have to put up with fighting with bureaucratic issues but also the language itself.

In the end, these experiences would however end up helping the trained nurse in the future: Träutlein now runs a care service agency near Heidelberg along with her husband. They employ over 20 African care workers and trainees.

"We are currently helping a group from Kenya come to Germany. We're stuck because of the bureaucracy involved for getting the visa," she told DW.

In her experience, the notarization process takes unduly long. Cultural integration and........

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