Advantage or Disadvantage of working as a Asylum seeker.

Question

Hi,

I am a qualified Pakistani, as i have been educated, living and working in Dubai for the past 7 years before moving to Germany as a Asylum Seeker. My case was rejected by BAMF and now in Appeal in court.

Now my situation is that they have brought me to a very isolated place to live in, where there are jobs available, no language schools available and pretty much nothing to do. I am very fluent in English but i dont speak German.

So my initial idea was to learn German to B1 level and start Ausbildung. However, since ive not been given a german language course i do not see that happening.

Therefore, my question is,

Would it be wise to find a full time job now, and later as my case gets accepted, to go back to social benefits and complete learning german and do Ausbildung?

And if i do start working, what would change in terms of benefits from the government?

Answer 1

Hi @Silvanus.mcgee93,

thank you for contacting wefugees.

First of all, you are in the same situation like many other asylum seekers. After being rejected by the BAMF many people seek for orientation.

In my opinion, you should focus on the language first. Have you applied for an integration course so far? If not, you can apply, even if you are not recognized as refugee yet. There was a change in the law last year: Now people who entered germany before the 15th of august 2019, who are listed as jobseekers at the agency for work and who have a "Aufenthaltsgestattung" are allowed to take part in an integration course.

Please check with a local refugee advisor (or via the free App "mbeon") if you meet all the requirements to apply for an integration course.

I highly recommend you to learn the language first. If you work or not will not play any role in the asylum case in court. But it could be a chance to stay in Germany, should your asylum be rejected.

The best way is probably doing a part time job while you do the integration course, because you can practice what you learn in the course. In addition, if you think about an Ausbildung, your german level should at least be B2 (and it's a long way to go, so you'd better start early).

So, coming back to what I said before: I suggest you discuss your individual case with a refugee advisor. He or she can help you with the application and find language schools.

I wish you good luck!

Regards

Ruth