Migration and integration

I'm curious whether we often argue about the wrong things when it comes to migration and integration. Numbers, borders and rules are important – but in the end integration is decided in very concrete terms: language, work, school, housing, everyday contacts.

At the same time, concerns about municipalities being overwhelmed can be taken seriously without declaring people to be the problem across the board. From your perspective, what would need to change for integration to work better – and who bears which responsibilities?

I also think that too much of it is handled in an overly abstract way. If someone isn’t allowed to work for months or is stuck in some kind of accommodation on the outskirts of town, learning the language and making contacts becomes unnecessarily difficult. But municipalities also need money and people for this: language courses with childcare, proper counseling, and affordable housing instead of constantly creating new forms.

At our company, a new colleague from Syria learned the most through working, not in a course. At first, we showed him a lot at the workbench and also wrote down technical terms. After a few months, he was completely integrated. Work isn’t a magic cure-all, of course, but it brings everyday life, language, and responsibility together. New arrivals also need to make consistent use of the services available—and anyone who lives here permanently should make an honest effort to learn German and accept the rules.

When supporting municipalities, the problem is often less that no money flows at all and more that it arrives too late, earmarked for specific purposes, or burdened with a great deal of bureaucracy. On top of that, there are costs that remain permanent—childcare, schools, housing, social work—while assistance is often provided through temporary special programs. The federal and state governments should provide more reliable per-capita funding over several years instead of managing each crisis anew.

And I would be cautious about the government’s “intent”: Politically, its decisions can certainly be criticized, but it is probably more a mix of disputes over responsibilities, limited capacities, and complicated rules. Of course, that makes little difference to those affected in their everyday lives. If someone could work but has to wait months for a permit or recognition, that is quite simply integration time wasted. Unpleasant.

I’d also be cautious about the “intent.” The fact that procedures are slow and municipalities are stretched to the limit doesn’t automatically mean that someone is deliberately trying to prevent integration. Often, it seems more like a system in which everyone defends their area of responsibility, and in the end no one is really in charge. For the municipality, however, it doesn’t matter whether the problem comes from Berlin, the state, or the office next door—the school still somehow has to function.

What I’m also missing is a bit more honesty when it comes to setting priorities: If integration is genuinely wanted, space and capacity also have to be created for it—in language courses, schools, housing, and businesses. And not just as a special two-year project. Has anyone had any experience with municipal integration mentors or sponsorship programs? We have something like that on a small scale where I live, and suddenly some dealings with the authorities become half as complicated.

I think this exact “no one is in charge” issue is the crux of the matter. For those affected, it makes no difference whether the BAMF, the state, or the municipality is responsible—if the language course does not start for another six months or a professional qualification takes forever to be assessed, valuable time is lost. Perhaps each municipality really does need a dedicated coordination office with an actual budget and clear goals, instead of five points of contact and ten forms.

At the same time, integration must not be treated solely as a government project. Businesses, associations, and schools can provide a great deal of support, but they need backing for that and must not simply be left to rely on volunteers. I would be interested to hear how success should be measured in concrete terms: employment rate, language proficiency, school-leaving qualifications—or, more simply, whether people are finding a sense of belonging in their neighborhood?

I think the idea of having a dedicated coordination office makes quite a lot of sense—but it would actually need to be able to make decisions, not just forward the next application. Maybe simple, measurable goals would help: How long does it take to get into a language course, how many qualifications are recognized, and how many people find vocational training or work within a year? That way, you can also see where things are getting stuck instead of just looking for someone to blame.

I once saw in an association how much faster someone finds their footing when there is a dedicated person who helps with forms and simply checks in regularly. It wasn’t a major government reform, but it made a real difference for those affected. Maybe initiatives like these mentoring programs and community organization offerings should receive more support—and at the same time, it should be made clear that integration is not a one-way street.