Germany’s Council of Experts for Integration and Migration (SVR) has branded the government’s decision to cap enrolment in federally funded integration courses as “contradictory and backwards,” intensifying political pressure barely three weeks before the cuts are due to bite. In an open statement released February 25, the independent advisory body said limiting access to language and civic-orientation classes would undermine the very labour-market participation the government claims to prioritise.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) quietly stopped accepting new course registrations in November to save an estimated €140 million. While existing classes continue, tens of thousands of newly arrived workers—as well as spouses of foreign professionals already in Germany—now find themselves on indefinite waiting lists. HR managers in sectors ranging from automotive engineering to aged-care say they have begun budgeting for private language tuition or shifting staff to English-speaking units, raising compliance questions under the Skilled Immigration Act that requires “basic German” for most residence permits.
Before prospective employees even reach the classroom, of course, they must first secure the correct entry documents—an area where digital facilitators such as VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) can save both applicants and HR departments time. The platform walks users through visa requirements for Germany step by step, offers document checks, and keeps track of status updates, smoothing one administrative hurdle so companies can focus on bridging the language gap.
![German Integration Experts Slam Freeze on State-Funded Language Courses]()
SVR chair Prof. Petra Bendl warned that without accessible courses, Germany risks creating “a two-tier labour market where only highly educated specialists progress, while lower-skilled migrants remain stuck in precarious jobs.” Municipal adult-education centres have also sounded the alarm: city-state Berlin reported a 37 % drop in funded course starts in January compared with the same month last year.
The Interior Ministry says the freeze is temporary and tied to the 2026 federal budget negotiations, but no date has been set for reopening enrolments. Observers note the timing clashes with new EU Blue Card rules that came into force on January 1, which widened eligibility and are expected to swell demand for beginner German courses.
Companies dependent on foreign talent should audit onboarding pipelines, explore corporate sponsorship of language programmes and document mitigation steps to satisfy future compliance audits. If funding is not restored quickly, private-sector solutions—potentially pooled across industry clusters—may become the only lifeline for newly arrived workers and their families.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) quietly stopped accepting new course registrations in November to save an estimated €140 million. While existing classes continue, tens of thousands of newly arrived workers—as well as spouses of foreign professionals already in Germany—now find themselves on indefinite waiting lists. HR managers in sectors ranging from automotive engineering to aged-care say they have begun budgeting for private language tuition or shifting staff to English-speaking units, raising compliance questions under the Skilled Immigration Act that requires “basic German” for most residence permits.
Before prospective employees even reach the classroom, of course, they must first secure the correct entry documents—an area where digital facilitators such as VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) can save both applicants and HR departments time. The platform walks users through visa requirements for Germany step by step, offers document checks, and keeps track of status updates, smoothing one administrative hurdle so companies can focus on bridging the language gap.
SVR chair Prof. Petra Bendl warned that without accessible courses, Germany risks creating “a two-tier labour market where only highly educated specialists progress, while lower-skilled migrants remain stuck in precarious jobs.” Municipal adult-education centres have also sounded the alarm: city-state Berlin reported a 37 % drop in funded course starts in January compared with the same month last year.
The Interior Ministry says the freeze is temporary and tied to the 2026 federal budget negotiations, but no date has been set for reopening enrolments. Observers note the timing clashes with new EU Blue Card rules that came into force on January 1, which widened eligibility and are expected to swell demand for beginner German courses.
Companies dependent on foreign talent should audit onboarding pipelines, explore corporate sponsorship of language programmes and document mitigation steps to satisfy future compliance audits. If funding is not restored quickly, private-sector solutions—potentially pooled across industry clusters—may become the only lifeline for newly arrived workers and their families.
