Ten Years in Germany , Date: 18/12/2025, format: brief analysis, area: Authority , Language Acquisition and Language Support of the Refugees from 2015 and 2016

Cover BAMF Brief Analysis 06|2025 Source: © BAMF

The BAMF Brief Analysis 06|2025 examines the development of language acquisition and participation in language support programmes among refugees who arrived in 2015 and 2016 and compares them with other cohorts.

Already in the first one to two years of their stay in Germany, there has been a significant increase in the share of refugees from 2015 and 2016 with intermediate German language skills. The share with good or very good German language skills is also rising. By 2023, over 90 per cent of those seeking protection in 2015 and 2016 will, according to their own statements, have at least intermediate German language skills, with the majority having good or very good German language skills. A comparison with other cohorts of immigrants shows that the development of refugees arriving in 2015 and 2016 has been more successful than that of other cohorts.

Further investigations in the brief analysis show that a key reason for the differences in language acquisition between different cohorts of immigrants is the varying frequency of participation in language support programmes. Here, too, the integration course system plays a crucial role. As of 2023, 86 per cent of refugees who arrived in 2015 and 2016 and participated in a language support programme have attended an integration course.

Due to the expansion of the integration course system and its opening in October 2015 to refugees whose asylum proceedings had not yet been completed, the integration of refugees arriving in 2015 and 2016 into language support programmes was significantly faster and more comprehensive than for earlier arrival cohorts. Compared to later arrival cohorts, refugees arriving in 2015 and 2016 also show more comprehensive participation in language acquisition support programmes. The later arrival cohorts (arrival years 2017/2018 and 2019-2021), on the other hand, show a development in both language acquisition and participation in integration and other German courses that has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to taking stock of the development of language acquisition among refugees from 2015 and 2016, the results of this brief analysis suggest that the development of subsequent cohorts arriving between 2017 and 2021 should be monitored in future, as they faced particular challenges in language acquisition in the wake of the pandemic.

Conclusion: Despite the challenges posed by the rapid increase in refugee numbers at the time, the vast majority of refugees who came to Germany in 2015 and 2016 have achieved considerable success in learning the German language and have been supported in this by the integration course system.

The Brief Analysis was written by: Dr. Jan Eckhard

It is only available in German.

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