Is FEA (ZAV) Pre approval mandatory for a software development job in Germany

Question

I have a job offer from a small software startup from Kassel, Germany. I'm a software developer with 4+ years of experience and have a relevant Degree in Computer Science Engineering. My Visa appointment is next week. My employer has not filed for FEA approval, nor has he published the job posting to any job portals in Germany. Because I was already working as a freelance software developer (through upwork), the employer directly offered me a permanent position (1 year contract that will be renewed later).

My Questions :

1. Will not having FEA pre approval affect my visa approval?
2. My salary is above the blue card norms for IT Specialist category, will this compensate for not having the FEA pre approval?
3. Is it normal to get the FEA approval after entering Germany?

What do you think?

I'm from India btw,

Thanks in advance for any advice

Answer 1

Taking into account your education & job, you will need the ZAV approval (FEA) in case your gross salary is below 53K per year.

The ZAV approval is a prerequisite for getting the visa stamp, in the case your salary is below the aforementioned number.

It is often the case that companies start the pre-approval in advance so the visa processing is faster. Otherwise, getting the ZAV will be done along with the visa processing, hence it will take quite a bit, like 2-3 months.