Foreign nationals with residence titles issued from 2005 onwards
Conditions of attendance and costs for foreign nationals
Entitlement to attend a course
If you received your residence title on or after 1 January 2005 and you fulfil the following conditions, you have a legal entitlement to attend the integration course:
You live permanently in Germany and received your first residence permit after 1 January 2005. You are in Germany:
- as an employee
- for the purposes of subsequent immigration of dependent family members
- for humanitarian reasons
- as someone entitled to long-term residence in accordance with sec. 38a of the Residence Act (AufenthG), or
You are staying permanently in Germany and have for the first time received a settlement permit in accordance with sec. 23, subs. 2 of the Residence Act.
or
You can prove that you have been resident in another EU State for at least five years.
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You are not entitled to attend an integration course
- if you are a child, young person or young adult who is at school in Germany,
- if there is little recognised need for integration,
- if you already speak German to an adequate level (you may nevertheless attend an orientation course).
Obligation to attend an integration course
If you received your residence permit after 1 January 2005 and you cannot make yourself understood in German, you must attend an integration course. The local immigration office will decide if attendance is required when it issues the residence title to you.
If you receive unemployment benefit II (Arbeitslosengeld II) and the office from which you receive unemployment benefit II requires you to attend an integration course, then you are obliged to attend.
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Applying to a course provider
If you have received your certificate of eligibility (Berechtigungsschein) from the immigration authority (Ausländerbehörde), the next stage is for you to choose an integration course provider.
You can use the WebGIS search engine to find integration course providers in your local area. You can of course also obtain a list of course providers from the immigration office or from an immigration advisory service (Migrationsberatungsstelle).
As soon as you have found a course provider, you should go there to submit your certificate of eligibility and register for the course. The course provider will help you to select a suitable course. You will also be told when the next course is due to begin.
Contribution to costs
You must pay EUR 1,20 for every lesson of the integration course (Contribution to costs). If you register for the course before July 1st, 2012, it's EUR 1,00 for every lesson. The remainder of the cost is covered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
A general integration course consists of 660 hours. Therefore the whole course will cost you EUR 792 (if you register for the course before July 1st, 2012, it will cost you EUR 660). You do not have to pay this amount all at once, but you have to pay EUR 120,00 at the beginning of each module. If you attend a special course with a correspondingly higher number of lessons, the cost contribution will be greater (e.g. EUR 1.152,00 for 960 lessons).
If you receive unemployment benefit II or social assistance (Sozialhilfe), you can apply for exemption from the requirement to contribute to the costs. You can also gain exemption from contributing to the costs if you find it particularly hard to pay because of your financial or personal situation.
Send the completed and signed application form to the Branch Office of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees responsible for you. You can find out which Branch Office is responsible for you using the interactive WebGIS search engine.
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Travel allowance or reimbursement of travel expenses
If you are required to attend an integration course and you receive unemployment benefit II, your travel costs will be reimbursed. The same applies if you have gained an exemption from contributing to the cost of an integration course. This is conditional upon your attending the integration course in accordance with the rules.
You can receive an allowance towards your travel costs if you have been required to attend an integration course by the immigration office and do not receive unemployment benefit II. Send the signed application form to the Branch Office responsible for you.
