Afghanistan is one of the main countries of origin for asylum applicants in Germany. Successfully and swiftly integrating into our society and labour market all those who come to Germany and are expected to remain here is a special concern of the new Federal Government. This not only eases the burden on our social welfare systems but also contributes to social harmony. 

Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior and Community, said: “We need to swiftly integrate those who come here and are likely to remain in Germany. Those who have fled from Afghanistan and are seeking protection in Germany will not be able to return to their home country for the foreseeable future. Rather, the current situation requires us to evacuate people from Afghanistan every week. Opening up integration courses to asylum applicants whose cases are still pending is a long-overdue step which will help to ensure swift and effective integration.”

Currently, access to the integration course is restricted to those who hold a legal and permanent residence status. Candidates whose asylum procedure is still pending have access to  integration measures only on an exceptional basis. Such access is granted primarily to people from countries of origin whose nationals have a good chance of being allowed to remain in Germany. On 15 November 2021, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs opened vocational language courses to Afghan nationals whose asylum procedure is still pending, on the assumption that they stand a good chance of being allowed to remain in Germany. 

Hubertus Heil, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, said: “It is good news that the integration courses are now open to asylum applicants from Afghanistan. This illustrates once again that the new government is an alliance which strives to strike a balance between what is useful and what is feasible, working together to find pragmatic solutions for the tasks that lie ahead. Language skills provide the crucial foundation for successful integration into our society and our labour market. Integration courses and vocational language courses are the key that opens the door to German companies and businesses and thus to our society.”

Access to these courses is being granted on the assumption that there is good reason to believe that the individual concerned will receive a legal and permanent residence permit. Such access does not affect the outcome of the individual asylum procedure; rather this new policy merely provides earlier access to integration measures. This decision to open up access to integration courses for asylum applicants from Afghanistan re-establishes equal access to federal support for language training. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees will continue to carefully examine on a case-by-case basis whether protection is to be granted, taking into account the available evidence and the specific circumstances of each case.