LIVING IN GERMANY

Housing is the social issue of the 21st century, German politicians and experts say time and again. And yet there’s no improvement in sight, especially in cities, where affordable housing is in short supply. Oliver Pieper reports Amir Schraff’s (name changed by the editors) nightmare began on December 24, 2022. On that day, the single father from Afghanistan, who had …

Germany recorded more than 214,000 criminal acts of violence last year, according to official police statistics. Overall crime also rose, according to data seen by the German paper Welt am Sonntag. Nik Martin reports Germany recorded a large rise in violent crime in 2023, the first year without pandemic restrictions, police statistics published Saturday showed. Welt am Sonntag, which gained …

The tubman.network e.V., an umbrella organisation of Black organisations in Germany dedicated to supporting people of African and Afro-diasporic origin who have fled Ukraine and other conflict-ridden regions, has issued a press release drawing attention to the fate of a Ukrainian child who is being denied vital medical care and also threatened with deportation to Nigeria. “This stands in contradiction …

In April 2024, a number of new regulations and laws will come into force that will have an impact on various areas of life in Germany. What new laws are coming into force? What will change for you in your everyday life? We have summarised the important changes for you here. Normal VAT for gas and district heatingTo mitigate the …

German employers are short of hundreds of thousands of workers. To respond to the skills shortages in the country, the current federal government made a reform of the existing laws governing immigration into the country a major priority when it assumed office. The objective of the reform is to address the acute labour shortage in most sectors by bringing in …

Leading African business networking group in Germany to hold what it describes as a transformative meeting on the opportunities of artificial intelligence for BIPOC small and medium businesses Eschborn, Germany – March 15, 2024 – Alfajiri Business Networking is pleased to announce its upcoming meeting scheduled for 20 April 2024, from 08:30 to 10:30 hours at the renowned Nairobi Restaurant …

African-owned company offers opportunity for self-employment in mobile care business Gosab Care GmbH, the Cologne-based provider of nursing care service, is looking for passionate individuals to join its franchise network in Germany. The company, which specialises in outpatient and intensive care, is expanding across the country and is offering interested persons the unique opportunity to get into the care business …

According to a judgement of the Lower Saxony-Bremen State Social Court, recipients of basic social security benefits (Grundsicherung) must be able to prove their place of residence to the authorities in cases of doubt. The burden of proof lies with them and not with the Jobcenter, the court ruled in the case of a Nigerian couple who were registered in …

A number of new laws and regulations will come into force in Germany from March 2024. These legislative changes affect various areas of daily life. For example, while many public sector employees can look forward to more money, some pensioners will now receive less in their accounts. Household appliances to become more efficient and skilled workers can immigrate to Germany …

The ADAN Career Day will take place for the 5th time in a row on 19 April at the Kap Europa, the congress centre located in the heart of Frankfurt am Main. The Afro-German initiative is the biggest career fair for Black and People of Colour in Europe that exclusively focuses on bringing them together with renowned companies. “The career …

Most people with a history of immigration living in Germany speak German at home in addition to their mother tongue. This was revealed by the Federal Statistical Office in its report, released on Tuesday, citing the results of the 2022 micro census. About 24 per cent of the approximately 20.2 million people with a history of immigration in Germany only …

No more cash for refugees, but a “credit balance” on a payment card. All federal states have now agreed that from the beginning of 2025, refugees and asylum-seekers throughout Germany are to receive their social benefits via a prepaid debit card and no longer as cash or by bank transfer. The new card will be a “debit card” with credit …

Faced with an aging population and more people living alone, the German government plans to introduce a new legal mechanism to help people in non-romantic relationships to take responsibility for one another. By Helen Whittle The way that people in Germany live, love, parent and age is changing. But the question of who and how to take care of one …

The parliament of Saarland, one of Germany’s 16 federal states, has removed the term “race” from the list of possible grounds for discrimination in the state’s constitution. In future, Article 12 will instead state that no one may be disadvantaged or favoured “on the basis of racial attributions”. “Our constitution is modern, trend-setting and understandable. Today, we are ensuring that …

The Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the federal parliament, has approved two further components of the new migration policy of the governing federal coalition – the laws on faster naturalisation and deportations. The Bundesrat on Friday decided not to refer the citizenship law to the mediation committee. The new law, which was passed by the Bundestag in January, stipulates that …

Almost 54,000 people have now received a residence permit through the right of residence programme (Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht) introduced just over a year ago by the German government. The amnesty scheme opens up a path to a long-term right of residence for tolerated persons. According to a survey conducted by Mediendienst Integration Service, 75,345 people have applied for a residence permit to …

At the beginning of the year, we informed you about the general changes that will affect people living in Germany in 2024. From February, some changes will come into effect that will affect many areas of life. We have summarised what exactly will change here: —- New regulation for co-payment for medications Anyone who takes a doctor’s prescription to the …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, writes on protest actions being held across Germany against the plan of the right-wing AfD party to deport foreign residents and citizens with migration history —— By Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP Last weekend, more than 1.5 million people demonstrated against the far-right across …

Hundreds of thousands of people, including the Federal Chancellor and the Foreign Minister, took to the streets against the AfD at the weekend. The protest action, held in cities across Germany, was against the revealed plans of the extreme right-wing party AfD to deport refugees and even citizens of foreign origin if it gets into power. The deportation plans were …

The federal parliament has passed a law to make it easier for foreign residents to become German nationals. The new law on citizenship, provides for faster naturalisation. Furthermore, anyone applying for a German passport will no longer have to give up their previous nationality. For people who are dependent on state aid, however, access to citizenship is made more difficult. …