A letter from an office that nobody can decipher. A question about a language course that no hotline answers. A wish to have a diploma recognised without knowing where to start. For moments like these Germany has a service many newcomers never hear about: the Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zugewanderte, or MBE, a counselling service for adult migrants.
It is free and confidential, according to Caritas München. Six welfare associations and the Bund der Vertriebenen run it, funded from the federal budget through the Interior Ministry and the BAMF migration office. It is open to adults from their 28th year, meaning aged 27 and over, and their children. Young people aged 12 to 26 go to the Jugendmigrationsdienst instead.
What the advisers actually help with
AWO München, which advises at Goethestraße 53 (80336), lists integration and language courses, dealing with authorities, residence law, childcare, school, health and vocational training. Caritas adds legal and psychological counselling for refugees from Ukraine. AWO advises in Ukrainian and Russian, among other languages, and the programme’s website is available in both.
To find a centre, use the BAMF search (NAvI) via migrationsberatung.org, or enter your postcode on the Caritas site. Online counselling exists too. Diakonie advises booking ahead because demand is high.
A service under budget pressure
The umbrella body BAGFW reports about 315,000 counselling cases and 242,000 accompanying family members for 2022, with Ukraine among the five main countries of origin. Funding fell at the same time: €81.5 million in 2023 and €57.5 million in the draft 2024 budget, a cut of roughly 30 per cent. Diakonie says the Bundestag reduced the funds in 2024 and that the service shrank as a result. How many slots exist in your town today therefore cannot be said in general.
The sources we reviewed do not state explicitly whether every centre advises holders of a Section 24 residence permit in the same way. The City of Munich points to MBE and the youth service for integration-course questions, and to its own IBZ Sprache und Beruf for language courses where the right permit is missing. Our assessment: one phone call beforehand settles it quickly, and if you are turned away, ask about the alternative rather than giving up.
The number of centres differs by source: the portal speaks of more than 1,200 locations, the welfare associations of roughly 1,400 to 1,500. What matters is the one near you.
Sources: Migrationsberatung.org, AWO München, Caritas München, City of Munich, Diakonie
