Asylum procedures and employment, training and studies
In the first three months after applying for asylum, asylum seekers are not allowed to work. However, internships and studies are generally possible even at the beginning of the asylum procedure. If the migration office extends your residence permit, you can apply to be allowed to work as well.
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Basic information
Vocational training, internships, and university studies are generally permitted during the asylum process. The Migration Office will note this on your temporary residence permit when it is renewed.
Employment as a salaried employee is permitted only with the approval of the Migration Office and the Federal Employment Agency. To obtain approval for employment, you need a specific job offer from an employer (see “Declaration of Employment” under Forms) who wishes to hire you.
Exception:
The following persons are generally not permitted to work:
- Individuals who are required to reside in a reception center
- People from so-called “safe countries of origin” who submitted their asylum application after August 31, 2015.
(Safe countries of origin are: Member States of the European Union, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Senegal, and Serbia).
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Procedure
In order to have employment approved, you need a specific job offer from an employer who would like to employ you. The employer must complete the job offer form, which you can download here (see under Forms). Only if the job offer is completed in full and signed by the employer can this employment be permitted.
Please email the completed scanned job offer form to mailto:ref30@migrationsamt.bremen.de
or send it to us by post to:
Migration Office,
Department 3,
Stresemannstr. 48,
28207 Bremen
The Migration Office will forward the job offer to the Federal Employment Agency, which will check the job offer. This procedure usually takes 21 days. Only if the Federal Employment Agency agrees can the Migration Office issue the employment permit.
Once the Federal Employment Agency has made its decision, we will inform you of the result in writing. -
Fees / Costs
gebührenfrei
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Deadlines & processing time
What deadlines must be paid attention to?
The duration of the procedure is usually 4 weeks after receipt of the application by the Migration Office.
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More Information
This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.
The official information in German is complete and correct. 15.07.2026