Integration courses for foreign nationals – applying to take part

• You have a
  • residence permit
    • for the purpose of gainful employment, whether as a self-employed person or in paid employment,
    • for the purpose of family reunification,
    • on humanitarian grounds, or
    • as a person with long-term residence status
  • 
    settlement permit The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has granted you a letter of acceptance, pursuant to an order from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, in order to safeguard the Federal Republic of Germany’s special political interests.

• You are residing in Germany on a permanent basis. Your residence in Germany is considered permanent if you have been granted a residence permit valid for more than one year or have held a residence permit for over 18 months.
• You may be admitted subject to the availability of course places, provided that you
  
  • hold a temporary residence permit,
  • hold a ‘Duldung’ (tolerated stay) on urgent humanitarian or personal grounds or on grounds of significant public interest, or
  • hold a residence permit for temporary protection or on humanitarian grounds.
  • At present, priority is being given to applications from foreign nationals who hold a residence permit granted under the temporary protection scheme, or who are German nationals or other EU citizens who do not have sufficient German language skills to take up gainful employment or training, as well as the family members of these two groups of people.

You are obliged to take part if you meet the above requirements and

• are unable to communicate in German, even at a basic level
• receive Bürgergeld and the provider of basic social security under Section 15a(1), first sentence, point 3 of SGB II, or the body from which you receive Bürgergeld, has required you to attend the integration course
• have a particular need for integration and the Foreigners’ Registration Office has required you to take part, or
• hold a residence permit, a ‘Duldung’ (toleration of residence) on urgent humanitarian or personal grounds or on grounds of substantial public interest, or a residence permit for temporary protection or on humanitarian grounds, and you are receiving benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, and the competent benefits authority has required you to attend an integration course.

There is no entitlement to participate

• for children, teenagers and young adults who are starting school education or continuing their existing school education in Germany,
• where there is a demonstrably low need for integration, or
• if they have sufficient knowledge of the German language.

Foreign nationals are exempt from the obligation to participate

• who are undertaking vocational or other training within Germany,
• who can provide evidence of participation in comparable educational programmes within Germany,
• whose participation is permanently impossible or unreasonable, or
• who already hold a long-term right of residence in another EU Member State and have taken part in integration measures there.

Please note: A breach of the obligation to participate may result in the refusal to extend a residence permit or the refusal to grant a settlement permit.

If you are receiving benefits under Book II of the Social Code, your benefits may be reduced by up to 30 per cent. Furthermore, the Foreigners’ Registration Office is entitled to collect the expected contribution towards the course fees from you ahead of schedule.