Foreigners with residence permits issued after 2005 , format: Article, area: Integration

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Eligibility to participate

If you received your residence permit after 1 January 2005 and meet the following requirements, you are legally entitled to participate in the integration course:

You are living in Germany permanently and received your first residence permit after 1 January 2005. You are in Germany:

  • for employment purposes,
  • for family reunification purposes,
  • for humanitarian reasons,
  • as a long-term resident under Section 38a of the German Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz: AufenthG).

or

You are living in Germany permanently and have permanent residence under Section 23(2) or (4) of the German Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz: AufenthG).

Please note

Your stay in Germany is regarded as permanent if you have received a residence permit of more than one year, or have a residence permit for more than 18 months.

There is no entitlement to participate in the integration course

  • for children, youth and young adults who are at school in Germany,
  • for an identifiable low need for integration,
  • if you already speak adequate German (you may nevertheless participate in an orientation course).

Obligation to participate in an integration course

If you received your residence permit after 1 January 2005 and are unable to make yourself understood at a basic or adequate level in German, you must participate in an integration course. The immigration office will determine your obligation to participate when your residence permit is issued.

If you receive the citizens’ benefit and the office from which you receive the citizens’ benefit requires you to participate, you must also participate in an integration course.

Please note

You cannot be obligated to participate

  • if you are undergoing training in Germany or are participating / have participated in similar training programmes (for example further education and training, continuing education),
  • if participation in an integration course on a continuous basis is impossible or unreasonable for you, for example if you have to care for family members,
  • if you are working and it is also not possible to participate in a part-time course.

Registration with a course provider

When you have received your Eligibility Certificate, you can choose an integration course provider.

You can find an integration course provider near you using the information system BAMF (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge)- NAvI. Of course, you can also request a list of course providers from your immigration office or a migration consultation office.

As soon as you have found a course provider, you should go there to submit your Eligibility Certificate and to register. The course provider will assist you in choosing an appropriate course. In addition, they will tell you when the next course will start.

Contribution to costs

An amount of 2.29 euros is payable for every teaching unit of the integration course (contribution to costs). If you register for your integration course before 1 August 2022, the contribution to costs is 2.20 euros.

A general integration course consists of 700 hours. The whole course therefore costs 1,603 euros in total (if registering before 1 August 2022, this will be 1,540 euros). This amount does not need to be paid all at once, but can be paid per course section consisting of 100 teaching units. If you join a special course with correspondingly more teaching units, the contribution to costs will also be higher (for example, 2,290 euros for 1000 teaching units).

If you are receiving the citizens’ benefit, unemployment benefits or benefits to cover the cost of living, you will be exempted from the contribution to costs on application. You can also be exempted from the contribution to costs if paying the contribution to costs is particularly difficult for you due to your financial or personal situation.

Send the completed and signed application to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees branch office competent for you. You can find out which branch office is competent for you using the information system BAMF (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge)-NAvI.

Please note

If you complete the final test at the end of the integration course within two years, or three years for integration courses for special target groups, after issue of the Eligibility Certificate, you may, under certain conditions, be reimbursed half of your contribution to costs. You need to complete an application for this, sign it and send it to the competent branch office.

Travel expenses

If you participate in an integration course and are receiving unemployment benefits, the citizens’ benefit (Bürgergeld) or benefits to cover the cost of living, or if you were exempted from the contribution to costs due to your financial or personal situation, you may, on application, receive a travel expense allowance provided that the distance to the course location is at least 3.0 km by foot.

Please note

Further information in this regard can be found in the information sheet on the integration course.

Online application

You also have the option of sending your applications to the Federal Office digitally via the Federal Office portal.

The following applications can be made digitally:

  • Application for admission to the integration course
  • Application for admission to repeat a maximum of 300 teaching units of the language course
  • Application for exemption from the contribution to costs for the integration course
  • Application for the granting of a travel expense allowance incl. the granting of a higher daily lump sum
  • Application for reimbursement of the contribution to costs (50%)

The online applications on the Federal Office portal can be found at this Internet address: Internet address for online applications

All further information for applying online can be found at: Internet address for information on online applications

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