Government not contemplating fresh citizenship benefits regulations for Ukrainians.
Per the CDU's wishes, displaced Ukrainians in Germany may face the withdrawal of their civilian pensions. The FDP insists on granting only asylum seeker benefits to new refugees from the conflict zone. However, this stance is against Labor Minister Heil and Chancellor Scholz's views.
The German administration has no intentions to retract or limit civilian pensions for Ukrainian refugees. As stated by a representative from the Federal Labor Ministry, "We have no intent to revise the current regulation." The aim is to supply integration benefits, counseling, and qualification opportunities to Ukrainian refugees promptly, "as we aim to help these individuals find employment." This can't be achieved via asylum seeker benefits.
Government representative Steffen Hebestreit also mentioned that he's unaware of any plans to alter this policy. Previously, Union representatives had suggested that civilian pensions be withdrawn from Ukrainians in mandatory military service. FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sari proposed that no civilian pensions should be given to future arriving war refugees, but instead, they should receive asylum seeker benefits.
Following the commencement of the Russian invasion war in February 2022, the German government made a decision to waive asylum filings for refugees from Ukraine. They were granted automatic residency rights and receive civilian pensions, without asylum seeker benefits. Hebestreit called this regulation a "massive relief" for the states and the Federal Office for Migration, which would have been burdened with processing hundreds of thousands of asylum applications.
Currently, there are approximately 1.17 million people from Ukraine residing in Germany, according to the Federal Interior Ministry's spokesperson. The Foreigners' Registration Office estimates that roughly 260,000 men aged 18 to 60 are among them. This figure does not specify whether these men are eligible for military service, due to potential health concerns, explained the spokesperson.
The German exception for waiving asylum procedures for Ukrainians is based on a decision at the EU level. According to the Ministry, Ukrainians are generally considered in need of protection under the EU Mass Migration Directive and do not need to undergo an asylum procedure. The validity of this exception was extended to March 2025 at the EU level, according to the ministry spokesperson.
Read also:
- Bijan Djir-Sarai, the FDP's General Secretary, suggested that future arriving war refugees from Ukraine should receive only asylum seeker benefits instead of civilian pensions.
- In contrast to the FDP's stance, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil and Chancellor Scholz oppose limiting civilian pensions for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
- Steffen Hebestreit, a government representative, has not been made aware of any plans to alter the policy regarding civilian pensions for Ukrainians.
- The CDU previously considered proposing the withdrawal of civilian pensions for Ukrainians in mandatory military service, but this idea has not been implemented.
