Overview
- Eligibility shifts to the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz for Ukrainians who entered on or after April 1, 2025, with retroactive effect and transition rules that keep existing Bürgergeld until approvals expire or for up to three months after the law takes force; pre‑cutoff arrivals retain Bürgergeld.
- Monthly support for single adults would fall from €563 under Bürgergeld to €441 under asylum benefits, responsibility moves from Jobcenters to asylum and social authorities, and able-bodied recipients must seek work, accept assigned work, or attend integration courses if language blocks placement.
- Government figures indicate roughly 80,000–83,000 people affected would lose statutory health insurance and receive the narrower medical coverage defined in the asylum-benefit regime.
- Official projections show limited fiscal relief, with 2026 savings of about €831 million in Bürgergeld and social assistance outweighed by roughly €862 million in higher asylum-benefit and administrative costs, leaving a net increase.
- The bill requires approval by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat and faces strong pushback from opposition parties, unions and some coalition voices, including public misgivings from the responsible minister.