Integration courses usually last a few months. Around 3,500 people from the Ukraine have started such a course in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. But not everyone who is allowed to do so immediately.
Nuremberg/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – Two thirds of the new participants in integration courses in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania come from Ukraine this year. There are 2,300 out of a total of 3,500 people, according to figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf). According to the Nuremberg authorities, 8,500 authorizations for such courses were granted in Germany, 6,500 times to Ukrainians.
The fact that many people from the country attacked by Russia are not yet registered with one of the course providers, i.e. have not yet taken any steps to claim the right, is understandable from the point of view of a Bamf spokesman: “That is against the background of the uncertain situation in which people find themselves, is neither surprising nor alarming.” According to the Federal Office, it can also take a certain amount of time to find the right course. Therefore, the start of the course is often delayed after the authorization has been granted and the placement test.
Integration courses were introduced after 2005. They therefore last 700 hours, of which 600 make up the language part. The other 100 hours are about values, the legal system and the social system. The courses are put together according to the respective language level and are aimed at all immigrants – regardless of their origin. Only adults attend these integration courses; in Germany, school attendance is compulsory for minors. There are numerous educational opportunities there.
According to the Federal Office, the integration courses for Ukraine refugees were opened in mid-March. These courses usually last seven to nine months, and special and part-time courses longer. Many would have started in May and June – so far relatively few have completed a course.
Nationwide, the number of entitlements to participate in integration courses is heading for a record: According to Bamf, around 560,000 such entitlements were granted from January to the beginning of November this year, around 26,000 more than in the previous record year 2016. The numbers could still change due to subsequent registrations, it said.
