Integration Courses

If you have only just arrived in the country, you won’t be entitled to follow an integration course immediately. You will be issued a certificate of eligibility (“Berechtigungsschein”) once you have officially applied for asylum and fit the appropriate residence criteria. The website of the Immigration Office has a lot of useful information about this. While waiting for your certificate of eligibility, you have a number of other options. In many cities, you will find free German classes run by volunteers. A lot of these courses take place in initial reception centres, refugee homes or social and cultural venues.

If you are unsure which NGO or association to contact, you can ask local charities like the German Red Cross (DRK), AWO, Caritas or Diakonie for help. On the website of the BAMF you can also find your local advisory center (“Migrationsberatungsstelle für erwachsene Zuwanderer” or “MBE”). In addition to these free classes, you can find a variety of German courses online, including websites, video tutorials and apps. A number of them were developed by German cultural and media institutions, e.g. the Goethe Institut or Deutsche Welle.

Since January 2017, asylum seekers who receive benefits according to the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (“Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz”) have the right to follow an integration course. If you are eligible or not, depends on your residence status: if your asylum case hasn’t been decided yet, but you have good prospects to remain, you are entitled to follow a course. The same applies if your deportation has been temporarily suspended (in accordance with section 60 a subs. 2 sentence 3 of the Residence Act) or if you hold a residence permit as a foreign national (in accordance with section 25 subs. 5 of the Residence Act). Since November 2015, you can participate in an integration course if you are under temporary suspension of deportation. 

If you are entitled to follow a course, you will receive a certificate of eligibility (“Berechtigungsschein”) which you will need to present at the school you wish to enrol at. Your local immigration authority or advisory service can provide you with a list of schools in your city that offer integration courses. You can also search for available course venues on the website of the BAMF or on the online platform KURSNET. Once you have found a school, you can directly sign up for a course with them. All fees will be covered by the Social Welfare Office (“Sozialamt”), but you will need to apply beforehand to be exempt from the costs. You can find bilingual versions of the necessary application forms on this website.

If you have already received your residence permit, you are entitled to follow an official integration course. In this case, you will receive a certificate of eligibility (“Berechtigungsschein”) which you will need to present at the school you wish to enrol at. Your local immigration authority or advisory service can provide you with a list of schools in your city that offer integration courses. You can also search for available course venues on the website of the BAMF or on the online platform KURSNET.

Once you have found a school, you can directly sign up for a course with them. All course fees will be covered by the Social Benefit Service (“Jobcenter”), but you will need to apply beforehand to be exempt from all costs. If you are already working or have the necessary financial funds, you will have to pay for the integration course yourself. You can find more information about course formalities on the website of the BAMF. 

If you aren’t eligible to follow an official integration course, or should pay for it yourself without having adequate means, you have a number of other options. In many cities, you will find free German classes run by volunteers. A lot of these courses take place in initial reception centres, refugee homes or social and cultural venues. If you are unsure which NGO or association to contact, you can ask local charities like the German Red Cross (DRK), AWO, Caritas or Diakonie for help. In addition to these free classes, you can find a variety of German courses online, including websites, video tutorials and apps. A number of them were developed by German cultural and media institutions, e.g. Goethe Institut or Deutsche Welle.