German Blocked account closing

Question

Hello, I came to Germany with a student visa and applied for asylum. I want to know what will happen with my blocked account? Can I take my money back?

Comments

Dear @Dani321, Welcome to the Wefugees Community and thank you for reaching out to us. I am actually not too sure about the procedures, but I assume that the government is expecting you to finance your costs of living yourself, as long as you have sufficient money on your bank account (instead of applying for asylum seekers money - "Asylbewerberleistungen"). Dear @mbeon-Éanna, can you add some information and help us out? Many thanks in advance! All the best, Meike

Answer 1

Dear @Dani321,

The answer depends on what is happening with your studies. If you are continuing to study, you can retain the residence permit you had. For this you will have to continue to leave the blocked account intact. You can continue studying while your asylum case is being processed.

The alternative is to end your student residence permit. This would mean you would be issued with a temporary residence paper 'Aufenthaltsgestattung' and would be entitled to social benefits for asylum seekers. You can apply with your local Ausländerbehörde to have blocked account ended and the money returned to you. However, you will be obliged to use some of this money to support yourself first before being able to access benefits. The amount you are allowed to keep depends on which exact type of asylum seeker benefits you receive.

Please note that if you end your student permit and your asylum application is unsuccessful, it is not possible to change back to a student residence permit or to another one such as a working permit.

Best,

Éanna

Comments

Many thanks for the important information and your quick reply, dear @mbeon-Éanna! Really appreciating! :-)

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You're welcome!