Overview
- New approvals for voluntary participation under Section 44(4) are suspended until further notice, while previously issued permissions remain valid.
- Asylum seekers, people with tolerated status, many Ukrainians and some EU citizens lose funded access, though attendance as self-paying participants is still possible.
- The German Adult Education Association estimates about 130,000 people could be affected, with providers canceling or cutting courses, including seven Hamburg classes with roughly 120 learners.
- Volkshochschulen warn that losing voluntary participants may prevent new classes from meeting minimum sizes, reducing places even for those obliged to attend by job centers.
- SPD leaders pledge to seek a reversal as Greens, states, social groups and churches condemn the move; the Interior Ministry cites several thousand euros per participant and roughly €1 billion in 2026 spending as justification.