Overview
- Interior Minister René Wilke announced a residence requirement that would bind migrants with a residence permit to their assigned county for up to three years after leaving initial reception.
- Local immigration authorities will implement the rule with discretion, including allowing moves for confirmed employment or vocational training.
- The policy is scheduled to take effect at the end of March, marking a stated course correction in the state’s migration and integration approach.
- Wilke argues the measure is needed to prevent concentration effects in cities such as Cottbus, citing recent school violence and strains on local social cohesion.
- The Flüchtlingsrat Brandenburg and Left-party figures condemn the plan as a major rights infringement that would limit access to jobs, schools, and affordable housing, and they call for investment in social work, education, and housing instead.