Integration courses for foreigners

The entitlement to take part in the integration course is linked to the granting of a residence permit for specific residence purposes and assumes a permanent stay in the Federal Republic of Germany. The entitlement arises once you are granted a residence permit for the first time

• for employment purposes (self-employment and dependent employment),
• for the purpose of subsequent immigration of dependents,
• on humanitarian grounds as a person entitled to asylum or Convention refugee or
• when granting a settlement permit to those foreigners who have been granted a residence permit by the BAMF due to a directive of the Bundesinnenministerium to protect special political interests of the Federal Republic of Germany

Foreigners can only attend the course once.

The right to attend an integration course will automatically expire two years after the issuance of the residence title or should the residence title lapse.

The following persons are not entitled to attend

• children, youths and young adults who take up a school education or resume their previous schooling in Germany,
• persons for whom the need for integration is discernibly negligible
• persons who have sufficient knowledge of German (in this case, the foreigner is still entitled to attend the orientation course).

Note: EU citizens do no have a legal entitlement to participate in an integration course. However, upon request, they can be allowed to attend an integration course by the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge if there are enough places in the course.

You are obliged to attend an integration course, if you are entitled to attend and

• you cannot communicate in a simple manner in the German language (in specific cases there is an obligation to attend which differs from this even if there is not a sufficient knowledge of the German language)
• you receive benefits in accordance with the second book of the Social Security Code and the participation in an integration agreement is specified or
• you are in special need of integration and have been called upon by the authority for foreign nations to participate.

The following foreigners are exempt from attending:

• those who are undergoing vocational or a similar form of training or education in Germany,
• those who can provide evidence of having attended comparable education measures in Germany,
• those for whom attendance is unfeasible or unreasonable in the long run or
• those who have already had a long-term residence entitlement n another member state of the European Union (EU) and have attended integration measures there.

N.B. Non-compliance with the obligation to attend may result in the application to renew the residence permit being refused, the foreigner being refused a settlement permit and a reduction in social benefits of up to 30 percent if the foreigner is claiming benefits in accordance with book two of the Social Security Code (e.g. the unemployment benefit "Arbeitslosengeld II"). Furthermore, the authority for foreign nationals is authorized to charge the contribution to the costs of the course in advance if a foreigner does not comply with his obligation to attend.