ENGLISH Welcome to the district of Bautzen – A guide for asylum seekers 2 CONTENTS 1. WELCOME 5 2. YOUR FIRST STEPS 6 2.1. The Immigration Office 6 2.2. A place to live 7 2.3. The Residents’ Registration Office 7 2.4. Dealing with letters from the authorities 8 2.5. Learning German and integration courses 8 2.6. Who can answer your questions? 9 3. LIFE IN GERMANY 11 3.1. Democracy 11 3.2. Personal freedom 11 3.3. Equality 12 3.4. Religion 12 3.5. Food and drink 12 3.6. Bureaucracy 12 3.7. Greetings 13 3.8. Saying “no” 13 3.9. Punctuality 13 3.10. Quiet times 13 3.11. Protecting the environment 13 4. MONEY 14 5. SHOPPING 15 6. HEALTH 16 6.1. Visiting a doctor with just a treatment certificate 16 6.2. Refugee clinics 17 6.3. Hospitals 17 6.4. Emergency services 18 6.5. Help in crisis situations 18 7. CHILDREN AND FAMILY 19 7.1. Raising children 19 7.2. Kindergartens and nurseries 20 7.3. Parents’ responsibilities for their children 20 3 8. SCHOOL 21 8.1. Schooling and compulsory education 21 8.2. School enrolment health checks 21 8.3. The Saxon Education Agency 22 8.4. Getting to school: on foot or by bus 22 8.5. School trips, outings and celebrations 23 9. WORK AND CAREERS 24 9.1. Internships, training and work 24 9.2. The Federal Employment Agency 25 9.3. Recognition of professional qualifications 25 10. GETTING AROUND 26 10.1. Public transport 26 10.2. Cycling 27 10.3. Driving a car or motorbike 27 10.4. Foreign driving licences 27 11. DECISION ON THE ASYLUM PROCESS 28 12. YOU ARE NOW A RECOGNISED ASYLUM SEEKER – WHAT CHANGES? 29 12.1. Living as a recognised asylum seeker 29 12.2. Money for recognised asylum seekers 30 12.3. Healthcare for recognised asylum seekers 30 12.4. Working as a recognised asylum seeker 31 13. ADVICE ON RETURNING HOME 32 WELCOME APP 33 APPENDIX 34 Overview of voluntary services 34 Maps 36 Notes 41 Imprint 44 4 The marketplace and Bautzen Town Hall 1. WELCOME Welcome to the district of Bautzen. The district of Bautzen is made up of 58 cities and municipalities. It is one of 10 districts in the Free State of Saxony. Saxony is in turn one of Germany’s 16 federal states. Around four million people live in Saxony, and around 300,000 of these live in the district of Bautzen. The environment, natural surroundings and our way of life here may seem unusual to you at first. You are sure to have a lot of questions and may not understand certain things when you arrive. This brochure has been created to help you get to know us better, and to make your arrival in the district of Bautzen easier. You will find important information to guide you in your day-to-day life, and addresses and telephone numbers for ser- vices that can help you. 5 2. YOUR FIRST STEPS 2.1. The Immigration Office When you arrived in Germany, you were registered at an initial arrival centre by the Central Foreigners’ Authority (Zentrale Ausländerbehörde, ZAB). The Authority has now sent you to the district of Bautzen. Your initial point of contact in the district of Bautzen is the Immigration Office (Ausländeramt) at the District Office of Bautzen. The Immigration Office is responsible for you while your asylum applica- tion is being processed, or if you are granted “tolerated” or “permitted” status. Immigration Office in Kamenz in Bautzen (responsible for the yellow area) (responsible for the blue area) Macherstraße 55 Bahnhofstraße 18 01917 Kamenz 02625 Bautzen [email protected] Consultation hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30 – 18:00 Telephone: 03591 5251 34001 6 2.2. A place to live The Immigration Office will assign you a place to live. This will normally be in shared accommodation – a home or “Heim”. While your asylum application is being processed, or if you are granted “toler- ated” or “permitted” status, you must remain living at your assigned residence. This will normally be a Heim. Each Heim employs people who can help you find your way in your new hometown. You will live together with people of different cultures. If you abide by these general rules, you shouldn’t experience any problems: • Keep to the house rules and act respectfully towards all residents to ensure that conflict does not arise. • Use electricity and water sparingly to protect the environment. • Separate your rubbish to help save raw materials and protect the environment. • Air your room daily to prevent mould from growing. • Adhere to visiting hours. • The staff at the Heim will give you your post. • Exchange telephone numbers with the staff at the Heim to ensure you can be contacted if there is an emergency. 2.3. The Residents’ Registration Office In Germany, there is a compulsory registration system or “Meldepflicht”. This means that you must reg- ister with the city or municipality in which you live. To do this, you must visit its Residents’ Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt). You will find this office at your city or district’s local government offices. They will give you written confirmation of your registration, which will show your current address. You must provide proof of identity to register NOTE: (passport, ID card or a provisional document). Registration is free of charge. You must register within two weeks of moving in! If you have any questions, the Immigration Of- If you register too late or not at all, fice will be happy to help you. you may have to pay a fine. 7 2.4. Dealing with letters from the authorities During the asylum process, you will receive letters from various government offices and authorities. Open them immediately. They may contain deadlines that you will have to adhere to. If you are living in a Heim, ask the staff there if any post has arrived for you. If you live in an apartment, check your letterbox daily. 2.5. Learning German and integration courses Your first opportunities to start learning German may come in the form of: • Language courses run by volunteers (information regarding management of the Heim, volunteer services and addresses are provided at the back of this brochure) • A self-study course using the free app: www.ankommenapp.de There are a number of different language courses you can take, such as “Deutsch sofort” (“German Now”), “Deutsch qualifiziert” (“Qualified in German”) and “Berufsbezogene Sprachförderung” (“Vo- cational Language Training”). These are offered to the following people: • Asylum seekers who have been given “tolerated” status for humanitarian or personal reasons • Asylum seekers with temporary residence permits who are likely to remain in Germany Recognised asylum seekers must take an integration course. The integration course consists of a language course and an orientation course. In the orientation course, you will learn about life in Germany, its laws, culture and history. The course is provided free of charge. Asylum seekers given “tolerated” status or temporary residence permits who are likely to remain in Germany may also be permitted to attend an integration course. To apply, contact the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, BAMF). Please note that there is no guarantee you will be accepted. You will only be allowed to attend if there are spaces. More information about the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): Integration courses: Immigration Office / Integration Department Macherstraße 55 01917 Kamenz Telephone: 03591 5251 34301 Consultation hours: If you have any questions, please contact the Im- Tuesdays 8:30 to 18:00 migration Office. When you come to your consul- Thursdays 8:30 to 18:00 tation appointment, please bring proof of identi- ty and any certificates you may have for previous German courses. 8 2.6. Who can answer your questions … … on the asylum process? The asylum process is very complex. At the end of the process, a decision will be made as to whether you can remain in Germany, and if so, for how long. If you have any questions regarding the asylum process, please contact the Immigration Office. Immigration Office in Kamenz in Bautzen Macherstraße 55 Bahnhofstraße 18 01917 Kamenz 02625 Bautzen [email protected] Consultation hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30 – 18:00 Telephone: 03591 5251 34001 … on daily life and integration? Youth migration service (Jugendmigrationsdienst, for young migrants aged from 12 to 27 years) Haus der Diakonie Wilhelm-Ostwald-Str. 19 Fichtestraße 8 02625 Bautzen 01917 Kamenz Telephone: 03578 385423 Telephone: 03591 276761 Migration advice for adults Haus der Caritas Caritas Bautzen Haydenstraße 8 Kirchplatz 2 01917 Kamenz 02625 Bautzen Telephone: 03578 374320 Telephone: 03591 498250 www.caritas-oberlausitz.de There are lots of people in the district of Bautzen who are trying to help make things easier for refu- gees as they arrive in Germany. They can help you with day-to-day questions or with the authorities. The contact details for people near you can be found at the end of this brochure. 9 … on integration and special circumstances? Officer for the Integration of Foreigners: Bahnhofstraße 9 02625 Bautzen Telephone: 03591 5251 87700 Consultation hours: 10:00 to 12:00 [email protected] 10 The marketplace and Kamenz Town Hall 3. LIFE IN GERMANY 3.1. Democracy Germany is a democratic country. This means that all of the state’s power comes from its people. This is stated in the Grundgesetz, our constitution, which is the most important legal foundation for life in Germany.