Integration Courses: What You Need To Know

What are integration courses?

As part of the Immigration Act of 2005, integration courses are mandatory ''if you cannot make yourself understood in German at a simple, adequate level''. Upon issuance of your residence permit, the responsible immigration office (Ausländerbehörde/ABH) will decide if attendance to an integration course is required. If you are entitled to attend an integration course, you will be given a certificate of eligibility (Berechtigungsschein). The general integration course consists of a language course with 600 lesson-hours and an orientation course with 100 lesson-hours.

The language course

The language course consists of modules of 100 lesson-hours each. A total of 6 modules are broken down into:

• Modules 1 & 2: A1 (A1.1 + A1.2) Level
• Modules 3 & 4: A2 (A 2.1 + A2.2) Level
• Modules 5 & 6: B1 (B1.1 + B1.2) Level

In the language course you will learn the vocabulary necessary to speak and write in everyday situations. The topics include important aspects of everyday life in Germany, such as work and career, contact with authorities and interactions with neighbours and colleagues. You will also learn how to write E-Mails and accomplish forms.

At the end of the language course, you will need to take the German Language Test for Immigrants (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer/DTZ). The aim is to achieve the B-1 level of German language skills.

The orientation course

The orientation course starts immediately after the language course. The course tackles such topics as the German legal system, history, and culture, rights and obligations in Germany. Values that are important in Germany such as freedom of religion, tolerance and gender equality will also be discussed in the course.

You will complete the course by taking the Life in Germany (Leben in Deutschland) test.

Registration and attendance

If you are entitled or obliged to attend an integration course, you will receive a written confirmation from your ABH when you receive your residence permit. In my case, I was obliged to attend the course and was given a Bestätigung über die Verflichtung zur Teilnahme am Integrationskurs (confirmation of the obligation to participate in the integration course). 

Once you have received the written confirmation, you need to choose a course provider in your local area thru the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge/BAMF.) Some ABH also provide a list of course providers.

Your chosen course provider will carry out an assessment (Einstufungstest) before the integration course begins. This will help them determine the right course for you and with which module you should start.

It is important to know that your entitlement to attend an integration course will expire if you do not start an integration course within one year after registering with a course provider, or if you stop attendance for more than a year at your own will.

After the final examination

You have successfully completed the integration course if you can prove in the language test that you have reached B1 level and if you pass the Leben in Deutschland test. An Integration Course Certificate (Zertificat Integrationskurs) will then be awarded to you.

Contribution to the costs

Each lesson unit of the integration course costs €1.95, which means for the overall 700 lesson units, you are expected to contribute and pay the amount of €1.365.

You can apply for cost exemptions in certain cases. For example if you receive unemployment benefit II (Arbeitslosengeld II) or social assistance (Sozialhilfe).

You may also be eligible for refunds if you pass the final examination at the end of the integration course within two years of the confirmation of eligibility to attend the course. Half of your payments may get reimbursed.

Rights and obligations

In general, you have the right to freely choose a course provider in your area. Once you register for a course, the course provider is obliged to confirm the estimated start of the course. The course should start at the latest within six weeks of you registering for the course. If it is not possible for a course to start within this six-week period, the course provider is also obliged to inform you. You then can decide yourself whether you wait longer or register with a different course provider.

During the course, you are entitled to: regular instruction, well-trained teachers and well-equipped classrooms. You have the right to receive a certificate if you attend the lessons regularly.

You are obliged to attend the lessons regularly and take the final examination. You also need to pay a contribution towards the costs before the start of a course module. You will have the option to pay per 100 lesson unit, which amounts to €195. If you are entitled to get exempted from the costs, you must submit the application before the integration course starts. ''No-shows'' must also pay for the current course.

Other things you need to know

If you have been obliged to attend an integration course by the ABH, you must apply at your course provider of choice as quickly as possible and attend the course in the proper manner. Failure to do so may have the following subsequences for you:

• It may influence the decision concerning the extension of your residence permit.
• If you are receiving social assistance, payments may be reduced.
• When deemed necessary, you may be called on by the ABH to pay your contribution to the entire integration course in advance in one sum (€1.95 per lesson hours).
• You may be fined.

Immigrants from a non-EU country, which includes those of us from the Philippines, must meet certain requirements if they wish to obtain an unlimited right of residence in Germany. Among these requirements is that they must have an adequate command of the German language as well as basic knowledge of the legal and social system in Germany. These can be evidenced when a person has successfully completed the integration course. Moreover, this also allows them to acquire German citizenship earlier if desired.

The knowledge of the German language acquired in the integration courses also make everyday life easier and improves the immigrants' chances of finding a job in Germany.

Please visit the BAMF website for more info.