In order to make it easier for you to find your way around Germany and to meet the need for counselling, the Federal Government has decided to open up the following courses and services to persons seeking protection from Ukraine who have a residence permit in accordance with Section 24 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG):

• Migration counselling for adult immigrants (MBE)
• Youth Migration Services (JMD) migration counselling for young people up to 27 years of age (www.jugendmigrationsdienste.de)
• Initial orientation courses for asylum seekers (EOK)
• Programme “Migrant women simply strong in everyday life” (MiA courses)
• Integration courses

You can also take part in a vocational language course.

The Migration Counselling Service (MBE) is an individual counselling service that you can contact with your personal questions about settling in Germany, e.g. about finding a place to live, a job or a doctor. You can also use the app “mbeon.de” for this purpose. The addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of all MBE counselling centres can be found at bamf-navi.bamf.de.

Initial Orientation Courses (EOK) are a low-threshold offer to provide an overview of life in Germany and simple German language skills on topics such as health, work or education.

MiA courses are aimed specifically at women and help them to get started and move on in Germany. The participants receive relevant information for everyday life, e.g. how the school and education system in Germany works or what opportunities there are for training and further education.

Integration courses are much more comprehensive and always consist of a language course and an orientation course. In the language course, you learn the basics of the German language in order to be able to write letters or emails, for example, or to apply for a job. The orientation course covers topics such as the German legal system and the history and culture of Germany. There you will learn about your rights and obligations and you will be taught the values that are particularly important in Germany, e.g. freedom of religion, tolerance and equality. In addition to general integration courses, there are also special courses, e.g. for women or young people, as well as intensive courses. At the end of the integration course there is both a language test and a final test on life in Germany, as well as a certificate if you pass the tests.

Vocational language courses (BSK) build on the integration courses and prepare participants for the world of work in Germany. In addition to basic courses, there are also courses with different target language levels.

The counseling services are available to you for free.

As a rule, participation in integration courses involves payment of a compulsory fee. Under certain circumstances, however, (e.g. for participants receiving benefits according to Book II of the Social Code – “citizen’s benefit” Bürgergeld) these fees can be covered. Please find further information here.

If you have any questions about the integration course, you can contact the BAMF regional office responsible for your residence. You can find the contact details on the page BAMF-NAvI.

Refugees from Ukraine generally have access to all courses funded by the BAMF and registration for the integration courses is done by application to the BAMF. Your Job Centre will help you apply for and find a vocational language course. For the initial orientation and MiA courses as well as migration counselling, you can register directly with the course providers. The BAMF-NAvI makes it easy to find the right course in your area.

Detailed information on all courses and offers as well as on the registration modalities can be found in our information sheet: “Integration offers for refugees from Ukraine” PDF, 155 KB, not barrier-free .

In the vhs Learning Portal you will find online German courses at different levels from A1 to B2. This allows you to learn on your own, when you want. There are online tutors. They correct tasks, give feedback, advise and motivate you. You do not have to know German yet to use the learning portal since the starting page is also available in Ukrainian. You can use it on your smartphone and it works via an app even if you do not have internet.

In the online German course “Nicos Weg” you learn German interactively for everyday life. The mobile course is suitable for tablet and smartphone and is available in many source languages: dw.com

The Goethe Institute offers a “Deutschtrainer” which is also available as an app. Further free language resources include language exercises on subjects like “Leben und Alltag” (life in general and everyday life) or “Arbeit und Beruf” (work and career), resources for children and young people, a learning video series on YouTube, podcasts, and the online community “Deutsch für dich” (German for you) for learning German together: Language exercises of the Goethe Institut

You can find more digital language courses for learning German with Ukrainian or Russian as the source language on the Deutsche Welle (DW) website: There you will find basic courses as well as  slowly spoken messages in German.

In addition, the language learning app Babbel also offers free online courses for Ukrainian refugees. You can find more information about the Babbel offer here: ua.babbel.com

The online platform PIKTUU offers free communication aid for understanding through pictograms and pictures. For more information, please visit: https://piktuu.com/en/pictogram-communication-aid

It is possible to attend a state-subsidised German course. Depending on how well you can already speak German, your options are either an integration course or a job-related language course.

If you do not speak any German or your German language skills are very limited, and you have a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residence Act, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) can grant you admission to an integration course. There are various offers that fit various situations, for example courses specifically for women or parents.

If you have already completed an integration course or you already know German well (level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), you can attend a job-related language course. The prerequisite is that you are permitted to work. Your local jobcentre can give you advice. They can help you find a course that fits and give you the participation authorisation. 

Participation in the professional language course is generally for free. You only need to pay your own contribution to the costs if you work and your income is more than a certain amount and you do not receive any state support benefits.

If you receive a residence permit under Section 24 of the Residence Act, you can also attend an initial orientation course or a so-called “MiA course” (“Migrantinnen einfach stark im Alltag”, an offer especially for women).

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) offers an overview of free online ways to learn German on its website.

Every integration course consists of a language course and an orientation course:

In the language course you will learn the vocabulary for all important areas of daily life and the world of work. This includes, for example, topics such as shopping, public transport, contacts with authorities, finding a flat, spending leisure time with friends and neighbours, as well as situations in everyday life. You will learn how to write letters in German, fill in forms, make phone calls or apply for a job. The topics vary depending on which type of course you attend. If you attend a parent integration course, for example, topics are covered that are of particular interest to parents, such as school attendance and childcare options in Germany.

In the orientation course you will get to know Germany and learn the most important things about its laws and politics, culture and recent history.

Before you can participate in an integration course, you must take a placement test. The placement test is used to determine your individual requirements and which of the following courses best suits your personal situation:

General integration course: This course consists of 600 lessons of language course and 100 lessons of orientation course.

Special integration courses: These courses consist of 900 lessons of language course and 100 lessons of orientation course. They are available for:

• Women
• Parents
• Young adults who are no longer obliged to attend school (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 (e.g. hearing impaired, visually impaired)

Intensive courses: These courses are suitable if language learning is easy for you and you want to and and are able to 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 run by accredited educational institutions. You can attend them as full-time or part-time courses.

As a refugee from Ukraine, you need a residence permit or a fictitious certificate from the foreign citizens’ authority.

Please enclose a copy of the relevant proof. If you are applying online, please upload the proof.

As a rule, participation in integration courses involves payment of a compulsory fee. Under certain circumstances, however, (e.g. for participants receiving benefits according to Book II of the Social Code – “citizen’s benefit” Bürgergeld) these fees can be covered. Please find further information here.

If you have successfully taken part in a general integration course within two years (or three years for a special course) after your entitlement to participate was issued (final test „Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer“ with at least level B1 and achieving the required number of points in the test "„Leben in Deutschland“) you can apply a refund of half of the cost contribution you have paid.

Yes, if you are attending an integration course and incur costs for travelling to the course, you can apply for a subsidy for travel costs. The requirement is that your walking distance to the course location is at least 3.0 kilometres.

At the end of the language course, you will take the examination “German Test for Immigrants (Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer)” (DTZ). The orientation course is completed with the final test “Living in Germany (Leben in Deutschland)”. If you successfully complete the language test with a B1 result and the “Living in Germany” test, you will receive the “Integration Course Certificate (Zertifikat Integrationskurs)”.

Children can be supervised near their parents during the integration course as part of the available services if no regular childcare is available for these children and the children are not yet of compulsory school age.

This is the purpose Programme ‘Integration Course With Child Plus: Prospects Through Qualification’ of the European Social Fund, supported by the BMFSFJ and the BMI, which runs from the start of 2024 until the end of 2026. The childcare is free of charge.

You can find suitable offers by using the BAMF-NAvI and entering the desired location.

Getting a job does not necessarily depend on your ability to speak German.

In general, however, it is important for you to have a basic grasp of German so that you can communicate with your employer and colleagues. There are also many jobs and fields where it is important for you to have adequate German language skills. In what are known as regulated professions (information in German and English), your German language skills may be required to be at a certain level in order for you to obtain a professional licence.

For this reason, it is always a good idea to attend a course to learn German.

The vocational language course builds on the integration course. You can attend it if you attended an integration course before or if you know German well (level B1).

In the vocational language course, you learn German for the world of work. These courses have 400 to 500 lessons of 45 minutes each.

There are basic courses with different objectives (for example, level B2, C1, C2). You learn general content from the world of work.

The courses often have about 15 participants. In rural areas, smaller groups are also possible.

The teacher regularly records the participants' learning progress in writing and evaluates it together with them at the end of the course. At the end of the course you will take a certificate exam.

There are also special courses:

• for people in the recognition process for academic health professions (e.g. doctor) and health professions
• with subject-specific content for the field of commercial technology or retail trade
• with entry level A1 and A2 for participants from the integration course who have not reached level B1

You have to fulfil the following requirements for participating in a vocational language course:

• Either you speak German at A1 or A2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages, have attended an integration course and have taken the German test for immigrants and failed.
• Or you speak German at B1, B2 or C1 level.
• Your language skills will be tested in a placement test. This is not necessary if you have a certificate of your German language skills that is no more than six months old.
• You have registered as a job-seeker, unemployed person or training-seeker with the Employment Agency or you are receiving basic benefits for job-seekers under the German Social Code Book II (SGB II).
• Or you are currently undergoing the recognition procedure for your vocational or training qualification.

You can also take a vocational language course if you are working or undergoing training.

Participation in the professional language course is usually automatically free of charge for refugees from Ukraine. 

You only have to pay a contribution to costs if you work and earn more than a certain amount. Your employer can also pay this contribution. If you successfully complete the examination, you can apply for a refund of 50 per cent of the cost contribution.

If you incur costs for travelling to the course, you can apply for a subsidy towards the travel costs under certain conditions.

If you receive basic benefits for jobseekers (German Social Code, Book II, SGB II), your job centre will help you apply for a vocational language course and find the most suitable course for you. The counsellors also know which language schools offer courses.

If you have a job, are undergoing training or are in the recognition process and do not receive benefits under SGB II or SGB III, you must apply directly to the BAMF for entitlement to participate.

You can find a vocational language course near you here. Once you have found a course, the course provider can also help you with the application for entitlement to participate.

You will find the appropriate application form below:

Application for trainees WORD, 53 KB, not barrier-free

Application for employees WORD, 53 KB, not barrier-free

Applicatioor the recognition procedure or professional permit WORD, 60 KB, not barrier-free

You can find your contact person at the BAMF here PDF, 466 KB, not barrier-free .