Proposed reductions to Germany’s state-funded integration courses are expected to impact a large number of Ukrainian nationals, according to information from the Interior Ministry.

Out of the roughly 19,500 integration courses currently running across Germany, about 300,000 people are enrolled.

The ministry said that 31 per cent of participants were citizens of Ukraine.

Interior minister Alexander Dobrindt has decided to restrict access to the courses in the future to individuals with what the ministry calls a “positive prospect of staying” in Germany.

Officials argued that the government could not finance the programmes indefinitely, noting that the costs amount to several thousand euros per participant.

According to the ministry, a standard integration course costs about €3,000 ($3,500) per person.

Literacy courses, which require more intensive support, cost roughly €8,000 per participant.

Standard courses consist of 600 hours of German language instruction and 100 hours of civic education, covering topics such as the country’s legal system and core values, including tolerance and gender equality.

Under the new rules, foreigners without a legal entitlement would be excluded from free participation, even if places were available.

This included asylum seekers whose applications were still pending, a group that currently accounts for around 19 per cent of participants, the ministry said.

European Union citizens, who make up about nine per cent of those enrolled, are also expected to lose access to free courses.

The planned reductions have prompted criticism from several federal states, with regional leaders warning that limiting access could hamper integration efforts and reduce opportunities for labour-market participation.

(dpa/NAN)