Hello. My husband and I (also male) are both non-EU citizens. I have been a student in Germany since 2016. Although we have been a couple for nearly 2 decades, we only got married in Denmark in 2017 (as marriage is a requirement for the family reunification visa). Our 2 attempts for the family reunification visa have been rejected. The reason for this has been that we got married AFTER I started my degree program in Germany. We have been living in his country (which criminalizes same-sex marriage), and his tourist visa to visit my country just before I started my studies in Germany was rejected (it has since been approved). So we had no option to get married BEFORE I started my studies. We can easily 'prove' our relationship before marriage (and were even granted permanent residency as a couple in Australia over a decade ago). Is this the sort of thing we can do as part of a remonstration? Alternatively, I completed my MA and started a new degree program (PhD) since I started. Why wouldn't they count that as 'starting' a new study program? This is very frustrating as one of the most important reasons for choosing Germany for my studies was because I would be able to sponsor my spouse to join me. Any advice or shared experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks!