Apply for admission to the integration course

The integration course teaches:

• German language skills as well as
• knowledge of the legal system, culture and history in Germany.

Each integration course consists of a language course and an orientation course.

There are different types of integration courses:

• General integration course: this course consists of 600 hours of instruction in the language course and 100 hours of instruction in the orientation course.
• Special integration courses: These courses consist of 900 hours of instruction in the language course and 100 hours of instruction in the orientation course. They are available for
  
  • Women
  • parents
  • young adults who are no longer of school age (youth integration course)
  • immigrants with literacy needs (literacy course)
  • People who have not learned the Latin alphabet (second language course)
  • People with increased linguistic needs (remedial courses)
  • People with disabilities (for example, deaf, visually impaired)
• Intensive courses: These courses are suitable if language learning is easy for you and you want to and can reach the course goal particularly quickly. An intensive course consists of 400 lessons in the language course and 30 lessons in the orientation course.

Integration courses are offered as full-time and part-time courses.

Before taking part in an integration course, you will need a certificate of eligibility. This is your participation permit with which you register with an integration course provider.

If you want to participate in the integration course voluntarily, you must first apply to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). You will then receive a certificate of eligibility.

If you are entitled to participate in an integration course as a late repatriate or as a family member, you will receive the entitlement certificate from the Federal Office of Administration (BVA).

Requirements

You can apply for participation in the integration course:

• if you are legally and permanently residing in Germany and
• if you have no or insufficient knowledge of the German language (below level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

Further requirements:

• You have one of the following residence titles:
  
  • as a specialist
  • as a researcher
  • as a self-employed person
  • for the purpose of family reunification
  • as a person entitled to asylum (on humanitarian grounds), a person entitled to subsidiary protection, a recognized refugee, or a recognized refugee
  • as a long-term resident in another member state of the European Union
  • as an immigrant with residence for special political interest, for example Jewish immigrant, humanitarian admission program

and

• Your stay in Germany is permanent. This is the case if you
  
  • have a residence permit of at least one year or
  • have held a residence permit for more than 18 months, unless your stay is of a temporary nature.

If you do not fall under the above-mentioned groups, you can apply for participation in the integration course if you

• have a permanent and legal residence permit (for example, as a citizen of the European Union or as a family member) and
• do not have sufficient German language skills.

In this case, admission is possible as long as course places are available.

If you have German citizenship, you can also apply to take part in an integration course if you

• do not have sufficient knowledge of the German language and
• are in special need of integration.

You can already be admitted to an integration course during an ongoing asylum procedure if you

• have a residence permit and
• have not yet applied for asylum in any other member state of the European Union or are not obliged to do so.

Furthermore, you can be admitted to the course

• if you have a toleration permit because:
  
  • urgent humanitarian or personal reasons or
  • substantial public interests require your temporary continued presence in Germany.
• if you have a residence permit because
  
  • your departure is impossible for legal or factual reasons and
  • you are prevented from leaving the country through no fault of your own.

Note: Admission is not possible

• if the need for integration is recognizably low,
• if you already have sufficient knowledge of the German language,
• if you are subject to compulsory schooling
• if you are a young adult or young adult taking up school education or continuing your school career in Germany.