New month
Important changes in November: Bargain days, ID card and immigration law
Due to the new Skilled Immigration Act, various new regulations will come into force from November
© Monika Skolimowska/ / Picture Alliance
November contains some important changes and news: deadlines for car insurance and payroll taxes are expiring, subscriptions are becoming more expensive and new laws are coming into force. Our overview reveals what else is changing.
This article first appeared on rtl.de.
November will be a real discount battle: Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday go head to head and entice people to hunt for bargains both online and offline. However, you should not miss the deadlines in matters Car insurance and taxes expire at the end of the month.
Bargain days: Black Friday and Co.
If you are planning a larger purchase – especially when it comes to electronics – you may want to wait a few more days. In November, both stationary and online retailers boost sales with various promotional days. There are lots of discounts on the following days:
- Singles Day on November 11th
- Black Friday on November 24th
- Cyber Monday on November 27th
Many retailers are also extending their offers to a complete Black Friday week.
Change car insurance: Deadline November 30th
How long has it been since you changed your car insurance? It can be worth taking a look at the competition, because according to Stiftung Warentest, you can always save “several hundred euros” when switching – sometimes even up to 1,000 euros. This is particularly true with a view to next year, when prices for insurance tariffs will also rise.
Anyone who decides to change usually has until November 30th to do so – because in most cases the cancellation of the old policy must be received by the previous insurance company by this deadline.
Instagram and Facebook: Paid subscription without advertising
From November, Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook, will be offering paid subscription models for the first time. If you want to use the social media platforms without advertising in the future, you will pay 9.99 euros per month in the future. For a subscription via smartphone it is 12.99 euros – this is how Meta wants to cover the costs for the app operators.
The background to the new subscription strategy: A new data protection strategy in the European Union, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Meta is no longer allowed to sell user data for personalized advertising without consent. From November onwards, users will be faced with a choice: either they pay the subscription or they agree to Meta selling their data.
ID card and passport: collection is made easier
Applying for and collecting ID cards in German offices will gradually be simplified by spring 2025. It starts in November: from November 1st. It is enough for citizens to confirm receipt of the letter with the PIN for their online ID in text form – previously a signature was required on site.
Identity card, passport and electronic residence permit – if available – can then be picked up directly from a document issuing machine. An extra appointment for collection is then no longer necessary.
Payroll tax reduction: Deadline for 2023 is expiring
If you can deduct high costs from your taxes and don’t want to wait until the next tax return for the money to end up in your account, you can apply for a wage tax reduction at the tax office. Then, thanks to a tax allowance, a higher net income is available during the year, and the repayment after the tax return is correspondingly lower.
The wage tax reduction can also be applied for retroactively for 2023 – the deadline for this is November 30th. The calculated allowance is then divided among the remaining months of the year.
Disney+ is getting more expensive
There are some changes coming to the Disney+ streaming service. From November 1st there is a subscription including advertising for 5.99 euros per month. The previous subscription for 8.99 euros per month or 89.90 per year corresponds to the price of the new standard subscription without advertising, but there will be compromises in the future: The content can only be viewed in full HD resolution without Dolby Atmos function, the number of parallel streams is limited to two. If you want to have four streams, a 4K resolution with HDR and Dolby Atmos at the same time, you will have to take out the premium subscription for 11.99 euros per month or 119.90 euros per year.
“Deceptive package of the month”
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New immigration law for skilled workers
As part of the new Skilled Immigration Act, various new regulations will come into force from November. The following changes apply to skilled workers with a university degree who want to immigrate to Germany from third countries with an EU Blue Card:
- The salary limits will be significantly lowered
- The circle of eligible people is expanding
- The list of so-called bottleneck occupations in which there is a shortage of skilled workers is being expanded
- Short- and long-term mobility within the EU is made possible
- Family reunification is made easier
IT specialists can receive an EU Blue Card even without a degree if they can demonstrate three years of relevant professional experience.
Furthermore:
- If all requirements are met, skilled workers with vocational or academic training are entitled to a residence permit.
- Skilled workers with a degree are allowed to carry out any qualified employment – training and employment no longer have to be linked as before.
- For professional drivers, the existence of an EU or EEA driving license, basic qualification or accelerated basic qualification is no longer generally checked. In addition, the priority test will be canceled and language skills are no longer required.