Welcome Culture in Deportation Policy: Labour Market Counselling for Persons Entitled to Stay and Refugees

The attitude towards immigration is fiercely debated in Germany, whether to accept and shape it for the needs of the economy and the ageing society or whether to limit and minimize it. Before 2015/2016 the arguments have been exchanged extensively in connection with the new immigration law in 2005. For a part of the refugees it opened up the opportunity to stay in Germany if they were able to finance their lives on their own, without making use of social benefits. The article describes the federal consultation programme for refugees between 2008 and 2014 and shows how the consultants act to help refugees finding jobs or professional education. Obstacles have been constrained legal access to the labour market, lack of language courses and too few opportunities for professional training. In order that the programme participants could make steps towards their goals, good will was necessary from the sides of employers, training facilities and administrative bodies. Tensions arose in these situations, where the participants did not respond to the good will of German institutions with complementary behaviour.