“We are settling in”: more than 50% of refugees in Germany will never return to Ukraine

Ukrainians have begun to show increased interest in language courses and job searches.

Already about 65% of Ukrainians who left the country due to the Russian invasion intend to stay in Berlin forever .

As Mark Seibert, president of the State Office for Refugees (LAF), told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur agency , surveys are regularly conducted at the temporary accommodation centre in the Tegel district, where thousands of Ukrainians live. A year and a half ago, most of these people declared their intention to return to Ukraine.

“Right now, about 65 percent say, ‘We’re staying here. We’re settling in,'” Seibert said.

According to him, changes in the mood of refugees are becoming more and more noticeable. He specifies that this is confirmed by the growing interest of Ukrainians in German language courses. In addition, at a job fair recently organized in the Tegel hostel, refugees showed great interest in finding work.

The publication notes that the war that has been ongoing in Ukraine since February 2022 has forced many Ukrainians to flee their country, in particular to Berlin. The exact number of Ukrainian refugees in the German capital is unknown, but some estimates put it at between 50,000 and 60,000.

Seibert also said that about 9,000 Ukrainians were housed in LAF centers, of whom about 3,000 live in Tegel. Others found housing in the private sector or were taken in by local residents.

“Ukrainians have a special residence status, different from the status of asylum seekers. This status allows them to work, as well as to receive various social benefits, including medical care and other types of support,” the publication writes.

According to BILD , Germany remains the leader in the number of refugees from Ukraine accommodated. According to the latest information, this is more than 1.1 million people.

(C)UNIAN 2024