Refugees must apply for benefits at the Job Centre as of 1 June

People seeking protection from Ukraine should receive targeted help in Germany as quickly as possible - including financial resources. Until now, refugees in Waldeck-Frankenberg have been able to apply for assistance from the district. As of 1 June, the Waldeck-Frankenberg Job Centre will be the right contact for this - and will in future write to all refugees and invite them to an individual counselling appointment.

New federal law regulates change of legal status
The reason for the change is a new federal law: Protection seekers from Ukraine will no longer receive their benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act, but under the Social Code. This regulates, among other things, financial support for job seekers and is legally the responsibility of the Job Centre.

People from Ukraine are currently coming to Waldeck-Frankenberg in different ways - on their own or through official agencies. If they come to the district on their own and stay here with friends or acquaintances, for example, there are a few points to consider when entering the country in order to register and receive support.

Decentralisedrefugees
Until now,decentralisedrefugees were supposed to register with the respective city and municipality. This has changed: From now on, they are asked to first register with the district's foreigners department by e-mail (auslaenderwesen@lkwafkb.de), stating their personal details and date of entry, in order to receive a so-called start-up certificate. With this certificate, an identification service is first required at the Hessian initial reception centre in Gießen. This means that biometric and personal data are registered and compared with a nationwide register in order to avoid duplicate registrations.

Once this has been done, they must apply to the district for proof of a temporary residence permit - the so-called fictitious certificate. This can be done by post (Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, Fachdienst Ausländerwesen, Südring 2, 34497 Korbach) or by e-mail (auslaenderwesen@lkwafkb.de) - and is a central requirement for applying for benefits in Germany. After approval, the district sends the document to the applicant by post. Only with this proof can refugees apply for financial support or open an account.

First a fictitious certificate, then an application to the job centre
The federal government has decided that as of 1 June the job centres are to accept and process applications for support benefits. This task will then be transferred from the district to the Waldeck-Frankenberg Job Centre. All applications received by the district until June will still be processed by the district administration. Ukrainian refugees who wish to receive benefits as of 1 June must apply for them at the Job Centre after receiving the fictitious certificate; an appointment is necessary for this. During the following counselling interview, possible support services will be explained to them. It would be ideal if you could bring someone with you who can translate.

Apply for benefits at the Job Centre in person or online
The Job Centre staff will then advise you personally about the support available - and how to apply. The applications can then be submitted in person or, if desired, online. During the counselling interview, the refugees receive access data to register for the online procedure. The Job Centre recommends submitting applications online if possible, as this can be done around the clock. Moreover, no further personal visit is necessary via the online procedure.

There will be a transitional period so that the entire change of responsibilities from the district to the job centre takes place as smoothly as possible: The district will continue to pay benefits until the job centre has taken over the process, so that there are no financial bottlenecks for those in need of support.

Centrally arrived protection seekers
For people who arrive in the district via the official agencies and are first accommodated in community facilities, the entire registration process described above - from the start-up certificate to the application for support services - is a little easier. This is because both employees of the district and the Job Centre will be on site in the communal facilities where the people arrive to guide and support the refugees through the individual registration steps. The district also provides detailed information about the entire registration process on its website at www.landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de/ukrainehilfe.