Refugees should in future receive part of the state support via a payment card. Almost all countries have agreed on common standards – but two are going their own way.
Part of the state benefits for asylum seekers in Germany will in future be provided as credit on a payment card and will no longer be paid out in cash. 14 of 16 federal states agreed on common standards for a procurement process that should be completed by the summer.
As the Prime Minister of Hesse and Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference, Boris Rhein (CDU), announced in Wiesbaden, Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are going their own way, but also want to introduce the payment card.
What does the payment card do?
Such payment cards are intended, among other things, to deprive those seeking protection of the opportunity to transfer money from government support in Germany to relatives and friends in their country of origin. “Each country decides for itself the amount of the cash amount and other additional functions,” said Rhein.
The payment card without an account connection can generally be used in all industries, but not abroad. Card-to-card transfers and other transfers at home and abroad are also not planned. Those entitled to benefits should be able to see the status of their own credit.
“With a payment card, cash payments to asylum seekers are largely unnecessary,” said the co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Conference, Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD). This minimizes the administrative burden on municipalities. “At the same time, we want to make it easier for people with prospects of staying in regular work and to get them out of receiving transfer benefits as quickly as possible,” he said.
The prime ministers of the federal states and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) agreed in November 2023 that asylum seekers in Germany should receive at least part of their benefits as credit on a payment card in the future. A federal-state working group then developed proposals for nationwide minimum standards. The planned tender is primarily about a joint service provider for the technical infrastructure.
Illegal migration should be curbed
Rhein sees the introduction of the payment card as an important step in reducing incentives for illegal migration to Germany. “By introducing the payment card, we are reducing the administrative burden on municipalities, preventing the possibility of transferring money from state support to the countries of origin and thereby combating inhumane smuggling crime,” he explained.
Asylum seekers receive legally defined standard benefits and additional special support, for example in the event of illness or pregnancy. In some municipalities, payment cards have already been introduced for refugees in model tests, with which they receive state benefits as credit, but no more than cash. For example, since December 2023 in the Greiz district in Thuringia.
After the attack on their country on February 24, 2022, war refugees from Ukraine were initially provided for in accordance with the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Since June 2022, they have been integrated into the basic security according to the Social Security Code II (formerly Hartz IV, now citizens’ benefit). According to the information, newly arriving Ukrainians will continue to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act until they have been granted a residence permit. According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 482,300 people had received standard benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act at the end of 2022; figures for 2023 are not yet available.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
