Particle.news
Download on the App Store

SPD Seeks Residence Permits for Working Asylum Seekers, Drawing CDU Rebuff

The SPD argues the step would give employers certainty after integration-course access was curtailed.

Overview

  • SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf said Saturday that applicants who work and show integration should receive a residence permit and be shielded from deportation.
  • He urged a return to the previous integration-course practice after an Interior Ministry decision limited free access to those formally obliged to attend, excluding most asylum applicants and Ukrainian refugees.
  • Alexander Throm, domestic policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU group, rejected the proposal, insisting that employment does not override legal obligations to leave.
  • The parties’ exchange reflects an active policy dispute with no legislative change announced or enacted.
  • A Babbel and Workeer survey cited in the coverage found about one third of surveyed immigrants avoid applying for jobs if they doubt meeting the required German level, with even B1/B2 speakers often feeling unprepared.