Every 3 years when I need to justify my right to live here. For the freelance visa this means a lot of preparation, and a fight for nonexistent appointments so that I can fire my documents into the void.

I earn a living from documenting German bureaucracy and helping immigrants to settle here, so I have a right to be sour.

It's a lot worse for employees because switching jobs involves a 3-5 month bureaucratic lag during which they don't know what will happen to their family. You might be dealing with a much faster immigration office.