Is attending Orientation course obligatory?

Hellooo there, here’s my case:

I am currently enrolled in an integration course at VHS, which it's supported by the BAMF at a discounted price of 220 euros per course instead of the original price; as I am the wife of a blue card holder and my residency permit is dependent on his. My residency is valid for 4 years and I did not receive any letter stating that I am obligated to register for an integration course. I decided to register in an integration course only to have intensive trainer with good price.
I am currently learning B1.2 and I am taking the exam in one month from now.
My questions are:

1- Am I obliged to enroll and attend an orientation course (leben in Deutschland)? I would like to study privately and prepare for the orientation exam without attending the course itself.
2- Is it possible to apply for a 50% refund after the B1 exam + Orientation Exam? without attending the orientation course?

3- Does attending the course effects my citizenship application in the future?

Thank you in advance,

3 Comments

Reply (3)

Yara_Community Manger

Updated:

Hello @Ekram , thank you for your question. Yes, so to receive the certificate you will have to successfully complete the B1 German exam and the “Leben in Deutschland” exam within 2 years. To my understanding, you do not have to attend the classes if you prefer to study by yourself. You can just sit the exam; I would recommend that you ask in the VHS as well. It is important that you register around 4 weeks in advance for the test. The fee for the test is 25euros. You can practice using this interactive platform from BAMF: https://oet.bamf.de/ords/oetut/f?p=534:1:0 Further information on the test can be read here: https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/Integration/ZugewanderteTeilnehmende/Einb… Since you will not pay for the orientation course you will not get a refund for that, you can still apply to receive a refund for the German classes that you have paid for. Finally, if you have not attended the course but have successfully completed the exam “Leben in Deutschland” then this should not affect your citizenship application in the future. (Your score should be 17 or above from 33) Read more about the naturalization process here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/citizenship You can also read more on the integration course here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/german-courses I hope this information was useful and best of luck for your exams! I am happy to help you with any further questions. Best wishes Yara

Ekram

Hello, thank you so much for your reply, I checked the links you sent me and I found a text on Bamf website that reads: You can request a refund: § Persons who have successfully completed their integration course (language and orientation course and the respective final tests) within 2 years. I think this means that I have to visit the class? I tried to reach BAMF and VHS and they both did not respond. Link: https://verwaltung.bund.de/leistungsverzeichnis/DE/leistung/99011031080…

Yara_Community Manger

Hello @Ekram , as far as I read and understood it this does not mean that you have to visit the orientation course classes. But of course they will not reimburse your for the orientation course, only for the languages courses that you have paid. I would suggest you apply for the reimbursement to receive some of the money back that you have spend on the language courses. Please update me if this has worked. Best wishes Yara

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