STATE INTRODUCES LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR REFUGEES

BERLIN Under a sweeping set of reforms designed to integrate 1.3 million asylum seekers, Germany is making language and integration courses compulsory for migrants, with failure to attend resulting in the loss of government benefits needed to stay in the country legally.

The conditions for refugees to be granted indefinite leave to remain have also been tightened. Those who wish to apply for permanent residence will have to show proficiency in German and prove they can earn a livelihood.

The laws were ratified by the Bundesrat, the upper house of the German parliament, on Thursday as figures showed a sharp drop in the number of new migrants. A total of 222,264 asylum seekers arrived in the first half of 2016, compared with 1.1 million last year.

The measures have been described as a combination of “carrot and stick” by Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister. They include 100,000 government-funded jobs to introduce refugees to the labour market, as well free language and integration courses for those with a good prospect of being granted asylum.