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

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

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.

Decentralized refugees
Until now,decentralizedrefugees 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 "Anlaufbescheinigung" (certificate of arrival). With this certificate, an identification service is first required at the Hessian initial reception facility in Giessen. This means that biometric and personal data are registered and compared with a nationwide register 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 mail (Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg, Fachdienst Ausländerwesen, Südring 2, 34497 Korbach) or by e-mail (auslaenderwesen@lkwafkb.de) - and is a key requirement for applying for benefits in Germany. After approval, the district sends the document to the applicant by mail. Only with this proof can refugees apply for financial support or open an account.

First fiction certificate, then application at the job center
The federal government has decided that as of June 1, the job centers are to accept and process applications for support benefits. This task will then be transferred from the district to the Waldeck-Frankenberg job center. 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 June 1 must apply for them at the Jobcenter after receiving the fictitious certificate; an appointment is necessary for this. During the following counseling session, possible support services will be explained to them. It would be ideal if they could bring someone with them who can translate.

Apply for benefits at the job center in person or online
During the interview, the job center staff will then advise you personally about support options - and the ways to apply. The applications can then be submitted in person or, if desired, online. For the digital route, the refugees receive corresponding access data during the counseling interview, via which they are registered for the online procedure. The job center recommends submitting applications online if possible, as this can be done around the clock. In addition, no further personal visit is necessary via the online procedure.

To ensure that the entire transfer of responsibilities from the district to the job center takes place as smoothly as possible, there will be a transition period: The county will continue to pay benefits until the job center has taken over the process, so that as far as possible no financial bottlenecks arise 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: in the community facilities where people arrive, both employees of the district and the Job Center will be on site 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.