Foreign nationals with residence titles issued before 2005
Attendance conditions and costs for foreign nationals who received their residence title before 2005
Entitlement to attend a course
If you obtained your residence title in Germany before 1 January 2005, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) can admit you onto an integration course if places are still available on a course. This condition also applies if you have a residence title issued in accordance with sec. 104a, subs.1 or sec. 23, subs. 1 of the Residence Act.
You should complete an application for admission to an integration course. Please also read the "Notes about the integration course".
Send the signed application form to the regional office of the BAMF responsible for you. You can find out which regional office is responsible for you using the WebGIS interactive search engine.
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Obligation to attend
If you received your residence title before 1 January 2005, you must attend an integration course if
- you receive unemployment benefit II and the office which pays your unemployment benefit II requires you to attend
- you have particular integration needs and the local immigration office requires you to attend.
In these cases, please also read the Notes on integration courses for immigrants required to attend a course.
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Applying to a course provider
If you have received your authorisation to attend an integration course (certificate of eligibility, Berechtigungsschein) from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, you can select an integration course provider.
You can use the WebGIS search engine to find an integration course provider in your area. You can of course also obtain a list of course providers from the immigration office or 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. They will also tell you 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 (Arbeitslosengeld II) or social assistance (Sozialhilfe), you can apply for exemption from the costs. You can also be exempted 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 WebGIS interactive 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, you will be reimbursed for the necessary travel expenses. The same applies if you have been exempted from contributing to the cost of an integration course. This is conditional on your attending the integration course in accordance with the rules.
You can receive an allowance for your travel costs if you have been requested by the local immigration office to attend an integration course and you do not receive unemployment benefit II. Send the signed application form to the Branch Office responsible for you.
