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Refugees in the integration courses , , Insights based on linked data of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP survey of refugees and the BAMF integration business file
Source: © BAMF
Research into integration of refugees in Germany primarily draws on data from the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees, which is the largest and most important source of data for research on refugees in Germany. The analytical potential of this study can be significantly expanded by combining the survey data with administrative data deriving from the Integration Business File (Integrationsgeschäftsdatei, InGe) of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
By combining the two data sources, correlations between personal circumstances, course characteristics and integration outcomes can be systematically examined. The Brief Analysis 5|2025 illustrates this with various examples:
It shows that the duration of waiting for the start of an integration course depends on contextual characteristics such as the period of entry and the type of course. However, there is no evidence of preferential treatment or discrimination against certain groups of characteristics, neither in terms of age groups, educational levels, countries of origin nor between obligated and voluntary participants. With regard to absenteeism, results demonstrate a strong increasing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further results reveal that older refugees in particular have great difficulty achieving sufficient results in the final language test (Deutschtest für Zwanderer, DTZ). This turns out to be independent of further factors such as educational background and health.
The data also demonstrate a strong contribution of integration courses to the progress of lan-guage acquisition among refugees. Unlike other data sources, the linked data allows for a differentiated view of different types of courses: participation in a general integration course is associated with a significantly lower prevalence of insufficient German language skills compared to refugees who do not participate in integration courses. Similarly, participants of integration courses with literacy lessons show a significantly lower prevalence of inadequate German lan-guage skills compared to non-participant refugees who had little or no reading and writing skills at the time of arrival in Germany.
The Brief Analysis was written by: Dr. Jan Eckhard
It is only available in German.