A welcoming symbol
Refugees doing vocational training will in future get faster access to training grants under the BAföG scheme.
Refugees in vocational training will in future get faster access to training grants under the BAföG scheme. In August, the Federal cabinet resolved the corresponding bill to go before parliament. Tolerated refugees and holders of certain humanitarian rights to residence must in future no longer wait four years before they can apply for a BAföG training grant. Instead, they can now file an application after only 15 months. Originally, this change was planned for August 2016 but has now been brought forward. “Given the growing number of asylum seekers, we currently face considerable challenges in ensuring their integration into schools and jobs,” commented Federal Minister of Education Johanna Wanka. “We are taking this into account by now opening the BAföG scheme up at an earlier date to those affected and making a statement that they are welcome.”
