Since 1 August the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has been admitting voluntary participants to integration courses again. Priority goes to people with a residence permit under Section 24, currently mostly refugees from Ukraine. The catch: there is no legal entitlement, and incomplete applications are rejected.
Who gets a place, and who doesn’t?
BAMF allocates places “within available course places and budget funds”. Two groups have priority: holders of a Section 24 permit, and Germans and other EU citizens whose German is not sufficient for work. They are treated in equal shares, with applications handled in order of receipt. Asylum seekers and people with a Duldung get in only in individual cases; shorter “first orientation courses” are planned for them.
Some background: in early February BAMF stopped new voluntary admissions “until further notice” because money was short. The Interior Ministry wants scarce funds to go to those who can reach the labour market fastest. Natalie Pawlik (SPD), the government’s commissioner for migration, refugees and integration, called the partial reopening an “important signal” and demanded secure long-term funding. Julia von Westerholt of the German Adult Education Association warned of a “dismantling of integration courses”. How many new places there will really be is unclear, and budget figures conflict (MiGAZIN cites about €600 million according to coalition sources, tuenews more than €1 billion). People with an entitlement or obligation, such as recognised protection holders or those directed by a Jobcenter, are not affected.
What does it cost, and how do you apply?
One lesson usually costs €2.29, so the general 700-hour course comes to €1,603, paid before each 100-hour module. Recipients of Grundsicherungsgeld (Bürgergeld), unemployment benefit or Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt, and low earners, can apply for an exemption in writing to the BAMF regional office, ideally before the course starts. It applies retroactively only to the first module. Pass the final test within two years and you get half the fee back.
- Apply for admission online via “Verwaltung digital” or the federal portal. According to ukrainianingermany.de, you need a BundID account and upload your residence permit.
- Submit a complete application: BAMF rejects incomplete ones. For the fee exemption, attach proof such as a benefit notice or payslip.
- Once admitted, your entitlement is valid for one year. Register with a course provider (search via BAMF-NAvI); the course should start within six weeks, and the placement test is free.
Our assessment: if you want to work and your German is not yet solid, apply now, since it is unclear how long places will last under limited funds. Bürgergeld recipients can ask their Jobcenter whether it will add the course to their integration plan; Jobcenters and foreigners’ offices can also grant entitlement. Migration advice services (MBE) and youth migration services can help with the forms.
Sources: BAMF: admission guidance, BAMF: costs, MiGAZIN, VADIB, Ukrainian in Germany
