Germany turns away nearly 30,000 applicants to integration courses

Nearly 30,000 applications for Germany’s state‑funded integration courses were rejected in January and February this year, according to figures from the Federal Ministry of the Interior first reported by WELT.

The numbers offer the clearest picture yet of the impact of the decision to freeze approvals for integration courses by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) late last year.

BAMF rejected 29,662 applications for Germany’s integration courses between January 1st and February 24th.

In the vast majority of cases – around 21,400 applications – applicants were reportedly told by the agency that no places were available.

A further 25,762 applications were still pending at the end of February and were also likely to be rejected.

The figures come from a written response by the Interior Ministry to a formal inquiry from the Green Party’s parliamentary group.

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BAMF confirmed in early February that, for cost reasons, it would no longer admit certain groups of migrants – including many asylum seekers, Ukrainians with temporary protection and EU citizens – to integration courses on a voluntary basis.

Access, the agency said, would instead be prioritised for people with a “positive prospect of remaining” in Germany.

As previously reported by The Local, voluntary participants have historically made up more than half of all integration course attendees.

Their exclusion has already led course providers to cut classes, delay start dates and terminate teaching contracts. These constraints also affect those who are legally required to attend integration courses as their classes are delayed or cancelled.

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Adult education associations have warned that the freeze is undermining a system widely regarded as a cornerstone of Germany’s integration model since its introduction in 2005.

According to BAMF’s own data, more than 90 percent of participants previously reached basic or intermediate German levels (A2 or B1) – outcomes closely linked to successful entry into the labour market.

Criticism has come from adult education providers, trade associations, labour‑market experts and politicians across several parties.

With Germany facing a shortage of millions of skilled workers in the coming decade, many warn that delaying access to language learning could slow labour‑market integration and increase reliance on social benefits.

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The Interior Ministry argues that integration into work does not necessarily require participation in an integration course. But course providers and integration experts counter that excluding motivated learners wastes valuable time for them, as well as for employers and the state.