Cuts in integration courses are completely wrong

According to an initial estimate, several thousand people in the state of Brandenburg are likely to be directly affected by the cuts, whose applications for admission to an integration course are now being rejected by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, as the ministry announced. The consequences for language course providers and teachers cannot yet be foreseen.

According to the ministry, in 2025 a good half of the authorizations for an integration course in Brandenburg were issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, a total of almost 4,000.

Minister: Language learning is at risk

The cuts were “completely wrong,” said Minister Keller. This puts the language acquisition at risk for many immigrants, meaning that medium and long-term costs would arise elsewhere. Among other things, Keller mentioned unfilled jobs and skilled workers. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) should reverse the cuts. The SPD at the federal level also criticized the approach.

According to a letter from the Federal Office, those most affected are asylum seekers, war refugees from Ukraine, EU citizens and people living in Germany with a tolerated permit. Unlike before, foreigners without legal entitlement will no longer be allowed to take part in a course free of charge if there are free places. Rather, they want to align the access options “more closely to the available funds in the federal budget” in the future.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that integration courses should continue to be available for people with positive prospects of staying. The courses primarily teach migrants the German language, but they also cover German history and culture.