On 18 February 2026, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) announced a significant expansion of its Initial Orientation Courses (EOK) program through June 2029. According to the agency, around 134 million euros have been allocated for this purpose; 23 million euros have already been earmarked in the 2026 budget. Overall, the program is expected to grow by about 60 percent. Funding is being provided through the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
According to BAMF, these courses are aimed primarily at people who are not yet able to attend integration courses or for whom that format is not yet suitable. Under a directive issued by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, only people with a “long-term prospect of staying in Germany” have been entitled to an integration course since 2026. (tuenews reported: Less funding for integration courses – tuenews and Criticism of the end of voluntary integration courses – tuenews)
The courses provide basic German language skills as well as guidance for everyday life in Germany, including topics such as work, shopping, housing, healthcare, daycare and school, mobility, and the rules and values of living together in society. Participation is voluntary and free of charge. A course consists of six modules, each with 50 teaching units, for a total of 300 teaching units.
According to the Tübingen district administration, no initial orientation courses are currently being held in the district because the available funding has already been exhausted. At the same time, there is hope that such courses will become available again in the next funding period, starting in November 2026.
See:
https://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2026/260218-ausbau-sprach-und-erstorientierungskurse.html?nn=282388&utm_
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