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Frequently asked questions

Mutual respect is important for a peaceful coexistence between locals and refugees. Yet questions are constantly being asked on both sides: how do I behave correctly? How can integration go smoothly? What can I do? Similar questions often occupy the minds of both locals and refugees. Here you will find guidance.

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How do I behave correctly towards refugees?

How do I behave correctly towards local people?

How do I behave correctly towards refugees?

Imagine you lived in a foreign country. You don’t know anybody, can’t speak the language and find it hard to get your bearings on a day-to-day basis. How would you like the local people to behave? Helpfulness and hospitality would certainly make things easier for you to begin with. A smile or returning a greeting is often enough here. You should assume that refugees are feeling just as unsure as many local people.

How do I behave correctly towards local people?

Imagine that a very large number of foreign people came to your homeland within a short space of time. How would you like them to behave? You can often learn the right way to behave in Bavaria by observing the locals: how do people greet one another politely? How do people behave when shopping? Or in a doctor’s surgery? It is very important to learn the language quickly. Try to interact with the locals in your free time – at sports clubs, for instance.

Do I need to fear other religions, such as Islam?

Am I free to practise my religion?

Do I need to fear other religions, such as Islam?

No, you don’t. Just like all other religions, Islam offers starting points for intolerance and fighting against other basic philosophies. The majority of the approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world peacefully practice their faith. There are particular reasons why some people become radicalised. In many cases, religion serves solely as a front for a person’s actions. Extremist and radical groups exist in all world religions, but this doesn’t mean that religion itself is the problem, but what some people do in the name of religion.

Am I free to practise my religion?

Yes, you are. Religion is a private matter in Germany. Everyone is free to choose their faith and whether or not they are religious. Every individual is free to practise their faith, but not put it above that of another person or the law.

Why is integration important for everybody?

How can I integrate?

Why is integration important for everybody?

Integration means sharing and participating fully in all aspects of life in the host society. It helps to prevent intercultural conflict as well as social and ethnic fragmentation in our society. Yet it can only succeed if migrants make an effort to integrate and the host society simultaneously recognises this effort and approaches people openly. Furthermore, structural integration helps people from migrant backgrounds into employment, which means that they pay taxes and support our social security system. Integration into the working world is the best form of integration into Bavarian life. It is both important and necessary. Successful integration especially requires people to stand on their own two feet economically. Accordingly, all refugees and recognised asylum seekers of working age should earn their own living as quickly as possible. Successful integration is essential for maintaining a peaceful society today and for future generations.

How can I integrate?

Bavaria is the state of successful integration. Across Bavaria, one in four people comes from a migrant background. Migrants have successfully managed to integrate into our society in the past. To ensure that this remains the case, Bavaria has placed a limit on immigration in order to maintain the efficiency of both state and society. In addition, the Bavarian state government is committed to the principle of ‘support and challenge’ and has established clear rules for getting on well with one another. By introducing a number of supportive measures in the areas of language learning, teaching of values, integration through training and employment, and homebuilding, Bavaria is playing its part in ensuring that people integrate successfully.

A common language is the key to good integration. You must learn German, as well as the country’s laws and values and the rules of coexistence. You are obliged to attend the relevant courses. Try to secure a training place or job. In addition to learning the language, integration into the labour market establishes the foundation for a peaceful life of self-determination. Employment provides the basis for you to integrate successfully into society. However, integration also involves a number of other important factors. Continue to study, be curious and open-minded towards the culture and country where you live. Just like all other citizens, you have rights and obligations. You must meet these obligations and play an active role in your integration.

Do all refugees have to learn German?

How and where can I learn German?

Do all refugees have to learn German?

Immigrants with residence permits who do not speak sufficiently German may also be obliged to attend an integration course. At 600 hours, the biggest part of the integration Immigrants with residence permits who do not speak sufficiently German may also be obliged to attend an integration course.course consists of German lessons. The orientation course lasts 100 hours and teaches people the laws and rules of coexistence in Germany.

How and where can I learn German?

Every person from a migrant background who comes to Germany should basically seize every opportunity to learn German. Knowledge of the German language is the key to a successful life in Germany. In principle, every person with a migration history who comes to Germany should take every opportunity to learn German. Knowledge of the German language is the key to a successful life in Germany. Immigrants with a residence permit who do not speak enough German and do not attend school or vocational school in Germany have the right and may also be obliged to attend an integration course.. The course generally consists of 600 hours of German lessons and 100 hours of orientation. To enrol on an integration course in your area, you must submit an application to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

You can find further information on integration courses on the website of the BAMF

Questions locals often ask themselves

Many local people have questions about the subject of immigration. Where do most refugees come from? How much money do they receive? And: how can I help? You will find answers to the most important questions here.

All people who flee from their homeland are referred to colloquially as refugees. However, this is not the correct legal term.

Asylum seekers, asylum applicants and those entitled to asylum: according to Article 16a of the German Basic Law, persons persecuted on political grounds have the right of asylum. This means: if a person enters Germany seeking asylum, they are called an asylum seeker. As soon as they have submitted an application for asylum at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), they become an asylum applicant. If the person can prove that they were persecuted on political grounds by the state in their homeland then they are granted asylum. The person is then entitled to asylum.

Refugees: only those people persecuted on political grounds have the right of asylum. People who, although not persecuted by the state, are still in danger in their homeland because of their race, religion or membership of a certain social group can be recognised as refugees.

Subsidiary protection: subsidiary in this sense means provisional. Provisional protection can be granted to people who are not recognised as refugees and are not granted asylum. However, they are not deported if they face torture, the death penalty or great danger due to armed conflict in their homeland. The affected person is granted a residence permit and permitted to remain temporarily in Germany.

All refugees who have entered Germany have been registered. They are recorded and checked with fingerprints, photos and personal data. They are then assigned to an initial reception centre via the EASY system.

Information about the EASY system can be found here: link to the lexicon of refugeeism & asylum

People who come from countries of origin with a protection rate of over 50 percent have good prospects of staying. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) determines which countries of origin meet the protection quota criterion (>/= 50 percent).

Current figures can be found in the asylum business statistics of the BAMF

The right to asylum is a basic right (Article 16a of the German Basic Law). The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany states: “Persons persecuted on political grounds shall have the right of asylum”.

Although they are not being persecuted on political grounds, people granted refugee protection or subsidiary (subordinate) protection face the threat of violence, torture or death in their homelands. People recognised as refugees or as being entitled to asylum receive a residence permit for three years. If they have integrated well and have the ability to make a secure living themselves then they can receive a settlement permit at the earliest after three years. People granted subsidiary protection or who have had a ban on deportation issued will initially receive a residence permit for one year, which can then be extended for a further two years in each case. These people can only receive a settlement permit at the earliest after five years.

You can find further information on asylum, refugees and subsidiary protection here: link to the lexicon of refugeeism & asylum

Homeless foreign nationals, those entitled to asylum, refugees and quota refugees are broadly handled the same as German citizens when it comes to welfare benefits. In particular, this applies to unemployment, social insurance and training grants, as well as the granting of social welfare. If in need of welfare assistance, foreign nationals with approved residence status receive benefits in accordance with the Social Security Code II (Sozialgesetzbuch II) or Security Code XII (Sozialgesetzbuch XII). Asylum applicants receive welfare benefits in accordance with the Asylum-Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG).

You can find further information on the Asylum-Seekers’ Benefits Act here: link to the lexicon of refugeeism & asylum

Asylum seekers can work in Germany under certain conditions. Permission from the Foreigners’ Office and the approval of the Federal Employment Agency is required. The wage is taken into account when calculating state benefits. However, the refugee is permitted to keep a certain amount of their earnings before they are taken into account in the calculations (similar to benefits paid in accordance with Social Security Code II or XII). People recognised as being entitled to asylum and refugees receive an unrestricted work permit and can also engage in a self-employed activity.

Information on access to the job market for refugees is provided by the BAMF: link to the BAMF website

The most important principle of Bavarian integration policy is "support and challenge". The state and society support refugees who are entitled to stay, e.g. with German and values courses, training and further education, etc. This support is an aid for self-help, so that the refugees can live independently and responsibly as quickly as possible and make their contribution to the community.

You can find more information on the subject of “support and challenge” here: link to the menu option “How we support and challenge”

In many districts and independent cities in Bavaria, there are full-time integration guides who are available to volunteers and those interested in volunteering for all questions relating to asylum and integration. The large welfare associations, including Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Caritas and Diakonisches Werk, look after and advise refugees and asylum seekers nationwide. You can also contact them if you want to volunteer. Frequently, the city or municipal administrations or parishes also provide volunteers.

You can find information, tips and links about the subject of volunteering here: link to the menu item “Welfare services and volunteering”

Full-time integration pilots can be found here: Integration pilots

Crime statistics show that the majority of asylum seekers do not commit any crimes. Crimes are prosecuted by the German authorities irrespective of where the perpetrator comes from. If a refugee is found guilty of a crime and handed a prison sentence then they must leave the country. This also applies if the refugee is handed a suspended sentence. This rule applies to crimes against life, physical safety, sexual self-determination or attacks on the police. Serial cases of theft or robbery can also lead to deportation. If those who have committed a crime cannot be deported for serious reasons, the penalty must be served in Germany. However, the offender can also be deported after their period of imprisonment if there is a risk to the general population.

You can find more information on the subject of crime rates here:

If an asylum application is rejected and there is no right to residence for other reasons (e.g. subsidiary protection or suspension of deportation), the applicant is requested in writing to leave the country. The person affected must leave Germany within a certain period of time. If the affected person does not voluntarily leave Germany, he or she will be deported. Deportation means that the foreign national can also be removed from the country where necessary using coercive means (by the police). The Foreigners’ Offices in the federal states are the responsible bodies in these cases. There may be an obstacle to deportation if, for example, the affected person is ill or the destination airport is closed. The Foreigners’ Office will examine the circumstances. If there are no such obstacles, deportation will be carried out.