German integration course cuts to affect many Ukrainians

Planned cuts to Germany's government-funded integration courses are also set to affect many Ukrainians, dpa has learnt from the Interior Ministry.

Around 19,500 such courses are currently running with some 300,000 participants. According to the ministry, 31% of them are Ukrainian nationals.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has decided to scale back access to the courses. In future, they will be available only to people with a "positive prospect of staying." The ministry argued that it cannot finance the programmes indefinitely, noting that they cost several thousand euros per participant.

A standard integration course costs about €3,000 ($3,500) per person, according to the ministry, while literacy courses require more resources and cost roughly €8,000 per participant.

Standard courses include 600 hours of German language instruction and 100 hours of civic education, covering topics such as Germany's legal system and values such as tolerance and gender equality.

Foreigners without a legal entitlement are to be excluded from free participation, even if spaces are available. This affects asylum seekers whose applications are still pending. They currently account for around 19% of participants, the ministry said.

EU citizens, who make up about 9% of course places, are also to lose access to free participation.

The planned cuts have drawn criticism from several federal states, with regional leaders warning the move could undermine integration and labour market participation.