No matter whether you are still in your home country or have been in Germany for a while: you will surely need to answer questions and collect additional information now and then. Our WelcomeCenter staff will be happy to help you. In addition, you can also use the many other counselling services offered by the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Migration counselling
There are migration counselling centres in many cities in Saxony-Anhalt. The following organisations offer free migration counselling:
- Workers Welfare (AWO) https://www.awo.org/migration
- Federation of Expellees https://www.bund-der-vertriebenen.de/migration/hauptamtliche-migrationsberatung
- German Caritas Association https://www.caritas.de/hilfeundberatung/onlineberatung/migration/start
- German Red Cross https://www.drk.de/hilfe-in-deutschland/migration-integration-und-teilhabe/migration-und-integration/
- Federation of Welfare Associations in Germany http://www.der-paritaetische.de/schwerpunkt/migration/
- Diaconal Charity of the German Evangelical Churches https://www.diakonie.de/arbeitsmigration-und-pflege
- Central Welfare Office of the Jews in Germany (ZWST e. V.) https://www.zwst.org/de/mbe/fluechtlingshilfe/
The following links provide further information and help you to find a migration counselling service in your city on your own:
- Integration portal Saxony-Anhalt: https://integrationsbeauftragte.sachsen-anhalt.de/beratung-und-netzwerke/beratungsstellen/migrationsberatung-fuer-erwachsene-mbe/
- Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) – Migration agencies seeking advice: https://www.bamf.de/DE/Service/ServiceCenter/BeratungVorOrt/Migrationsberatungsstellen/migrationsberatungsstellen_node.html
- Citizens Service from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): https://www.bamf.de/DE/Service/ServiceCenter/Buergerservice/buergerservice-node.html
Youth migration services This offer is aimed specifically at young people between the ages of 12 and 27. They are supervised by educational specialists and receive individual counselling in many areas of daily life and job search. Cultural, craft or sports group activities are often also offered. You can find a youth migration service in your area and further information at Youth migration services: https://www.jugendmigrationsdienste.de/
On site you will receive information on migration counselling from
- Regional counselling centres of the WelcomeCenter
- Immigration authorities
- Municipal, city or district administrations
Recognition advice for foreign professional qualifications One important issue when you move to Germany will be the recognition of foreign qualifications. In a recognition procedure, the respective competent authority will verify the equivalence of your professional qualification acquired abroad with the German reference profession. This process is particularly important for people from regulated professions, such as doctors, midwives, nurses, educators, teachers and interpreters/translators (a complete list of regulated professions can be found here … However, workers from non-regulated professions should also make use of recognition advice to have their qualifications reviewed. This will help employers and companies to better assess the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
Further information can be found here:
- The information portal in Germany for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications: https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/de/berufliche_anerkennung.php
- Central Office for Foreign Education of the Conference of Ministers of Culture: https://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html
- Recognition and qualification advice of the IQ Network Saxony-Anhalt: https://www.sachsen-anhalt.netzwerk-iq.de/fuer-eingewanderte/anerkennungs-und-qualifizierungsberatung/grundlagen-berufsanerkennung/
Downloads:
- Information flyer on recognition of qualifications in Germany: https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/de/downloads.php