Caritas has warned that the federal government’s plan to shift Ukrainian refugees into the Asylum‑Seekers‑Benefit Act will seriously undermine their integration into Germany’s labour market. Oliver Müller, board member for migration, international and disaster aid at the German Caritas Association, told outlets of the Bayern media group that the move will “massively hamper the integration of refugees into the labour market”. He added that the established support structures of job centres will disappear without an adequate replacement, and that in the health sector service disruptions loom.
The background is the black‑red coalition government’s policy that, from 1 April 2025, Ukrainian asylum seekers will receive the lower benefits under the Asylum‑Seekers‑Benefit Act instead of Bürgergeld or social assistance. A public hearing on the issue is scheduled for Monday afternoon in the Bundestag’s Labour and Social Committee.
Müller also criticised the Interior Ministry’s freeze on free integration and German‑language courses. He said that “the admission stop makes language acquisition almost impossible under these conditions, yet German language skills are essential for employment and participation”. Caritas therefore demands the re‑introduction of admissions to integration courses, arguing that the outcome hinges on the extensive integration achievements made so far by refugees and society alike.
