The failing integration of newcomers in Germany: can Artificial Intelligence help?

Since 2016, Social Science Works has carried out dozens of integration projects with and for refugees for a wide range of clients. In addition, we have conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research, particularly in Brandenburg, into the backgrounds, living conditions, state of integration, and prospects of refugees who are (still) living in refugee shelters. To this end, we have collected and analyzed quantitative data from more than 800 refugees, conducted and analyzed approximately 70 in-depth interviews with refugees, and conducted dozens of interviews with the social workers, integration officers, shelter managers, volunteers, and representatives of municipalities, districts, job centers, employment agencies, and social organizations involved. Parts of the results of this research have been published in, among others, Migrationspolitik auf der Flucht: Erfahrungen von Neuankömmlingen mit Untätigkeit, Trägheit und Gleichgültigkeit (Bielefeld: Transcript. 2024).[1]

The sad state of integration work

The picture that emerges from our research is a sad one.

There is little or no integration work or social work being done in refugee shelters. These shelters currently house more than 700,000 adults and children, many of whom have been there for more than five years.
The staff involved are mainly concerned with bureaucracy and increasingly have no professional background in social work.
The mood among the people who are supposed to be working on integration on a daily basis can only be described as depressed and demoralized. Not without good reason, they seem to have lost faith in their own activities to a large extent.
The number of volunteers working to integrate newcomers has fallen dramatically.
The operators of refugee shelters do not collect systematic information about their residents. Nor do they invest heavily in contacts with residents and the surrounding community. In addition to a lack of manpower and the (often incorrect) assumption that the residents will (have to) leave the country again, one explanation for this is that the system of two- or three-year tenders can render such investments pointless (see: Reform of the refugee shelter market: competition based on actual success indicators).
In most cases, there is no insight into matters such as the schools the residents have attended (and for how long), the professions they have learned and practiced (and for how long), the languages they speak and to what level, their (previous) social activities and positions, their interests, competencies, skills, ambitions, needs, or frustrations.
Among the biggest problems faced by residents of refugee shelters are social isolation, loneliness, uncertainty, and hopelessness, as well as all the psychological problems caused by these, including depression, lethargy, and all kinds of psychosomatic complaints. This is often on top of the trauma already caused by flight and migration.
Refugee shelters not only lack any internal community, they are also completely disconnected from their surrounding social environment. These shelters often resemble spaceships that have landed somewhere secretly and unnoticed and have no ties or relationships with the outside world. There are rarely, if ever, any structural links with the business community, government institutions, social organizations, libraries, sports clubs, schools, etc.

The lack of knowledge about the residents, the problems of social isolation, loneliness, and (re)traumatization, the absence of social work and integration efforts, and the social isolation of refugee accommodations naturally hinder the integration of new arrivals. Many of these problems and the resulting obstacles are home-made.

A shelter manager in Brandenburg told us: “When I arrive at work at eight in the morning, the refugee shelter should be mostly empty. Children should be at daycare or school, adults should be taking language or integration courses, attending school, undergoing vocational training, at work, or doing volunteer work. However, this is not the case. Almost everyone is still there, hanging around.”

The shelter manager was right. Integration is a top-level sport. It does not happen automatically but requires great effort. To prevent a slide into hopelessness, despair, and apathy, to prevent a large-scale destruction of human capital, these efforts must be made as quickly as possible, both by the new arrivals and by the host society. There is no time to lose.

The application of AI to bring about change

What needs to be done to bring about change in the current situation? There is no magic bullet that will solve all problems quickly and efficiently (for an in-depth analysis, see: Blokland 2024). However, the application of Artificial Intelligence could help bring solutions closer. In collaboration with partners, Social Science Works is developing this application of AI.

First of all, a file must be created for each refugee containing all information relevant to their successful integration. These files can be generated with the help of AI, in every relevant language.

Social workers currently working in refugee shelters must be allowed to return to what they were trained to do: social work. The bureaucratic burden they carry can be significantly reduced with AI. A large part of their working time is spent translating documents written by the authorities, often in incomprehensible German, about language courses, integration courses, daycare, education, vocational training, housing, benefits, etc.[2] Thanks to AI, this activity can be reduced to a large extent.

The desired social work has two components.

First, refugee shelters must be turned into functioning communities. The social capital that is generally abundant among refugees must be tapped into and activated for this purpose. The objectives are to combat social isolation, loneliness, lethargy, and psychological problems; to promote self-reliance, self-respect, and autonomy; and to reduce costs: there is often no reason to hire outside services, as the residents are very capable of providing these services themselves. However, this must be organized. And this is precisely the task of a community worker. Here, too, the data collected via AI on the residents’ skills, abilities, and willingness can be used.

Secondly, refugee shelters must be integrated into their social environment. Social workers should be ambassadors for the refugee shelters they manage and the people housed there. They should constantly establish and maintain contacts with businesses, municipalities, state organizations, social organizations, educational institutions, sports clubs, leisure associations, etc. As with the residents, they should identify which institutions in the vicinity of the shelters could play a role in the integration of new arrivals. Once again, IA can play an important role here. They must then act as permanent mediators between individual residents and these institutions.

Volunteering

The importance of volunteering deserves special mention here. Refugees arriving in Germany do less volunteering than would be possible and desirable. There are, of course, various reasons for this. One reason is that in some cultures, there is less attention and recognition for organized volunteering than in German culture. Partly as a result of this, people do not know how to find their way into organized volunteer work. Interviews we have conducted with those involved illustrate this, as do the quantitative data we have collected in this area (Blokland 2023; SSW 2022-2025).

At the same time, we know that volunteer work can make an important contribution to the integration of newcomers. It is often a much faster route than integration via the labor market. Through volunteering, they can build the networks they need to find their way in society, orient themselves to German norms and values, and develop their knowledge of the German language. In general, we know from research that volunteering contributes to people’s well-being. It gives them a sense of contributing to society and being seen, and it has proven to be an effective remedy for loneliness and social isolation, as well as the psychological problems these cause. It goes without saying that volunteering enriches society as a whole: it enables important activities that are not rewarded in a market economy but are crucial for social cohesion. Volunteering by refugees can also help to break down prejudices among the native population.

The royal road to social integration is via the labor market. However, this road is narrow and long, and difficult for many to navigate.

A shorter route, which ultimately leads to paid employment, is through volunteering. An important task of social work in refugee shelters is therefore to refer residents to all those places where volunteers contribute to our society. AI can also play an important role in this referral process.

In conclusion: Artificial Intelligence is certainly not a panacea. Ultimately, integration happens through human contact. This includes contact between newcomers themselves, as well as between them and the host society. AI can help make this happen by easing the stifling bureaucratic burden that’s currently demoralizing both newcomers and everyone working professionally or voluntarily to help them integrate.

Literature

Blokland, Hans. 2021. Kein Plan, keine Hoffnung, keine Zukunft. Sackgassen für Flüchtlinge auf dem Lande. Potsdam: Social Science Works.

Blokland, Hans und Mirjam Neebe. 2022. Wege aus dem Vakuum. Zukunftswerkstatt zur Integration Geflüchteter im ländlichen Raum. Potsdam: Social Science Works.

Blokland, Hans (with Laila Keeling, Anjali Zyla, Sahba Salehi, Nadia Lejaille). 2024. Migrationspolitik auf der Flucht: Erfahrungen von Neuankömmlingen mit Untätigkeit, Trägheit und Gleichgültigkeit. Bielefeld: Transcript.

Blokland, Hans. 2025. Reform of the refugee shelter market: competition based on actual success indicators. Potsdam: Social Science Works.

Appendix: Overview of issues with filling out the governmental forms for migrants in Germany

After having been interviewed by the BAMF and having filled in the papers that come with his or her asylum application, a migrant needs to submit an application to participate in an integration course (Integrationskurs) at the BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees). This process usually involves filling out forms provided by the Sozialamt or Jobcenter. These forms are often lengthy and written in German, making them difficult to fill out for many migrants. Even using Google Translate doesn’t fully clarify the forms for them, as it can still be confusing.

Another form that migrants need to fill out is the registration form for health insurance (Krankenversicherung). This form also presents specific challenges. Many of these forms include refugee laws and regulations, referencing sources and paragraphs, which are often unnecessary information for most migrants and only contribute to their confusion. Migrants often must spend a lot of time speaking with social workers for help in filling out these forms. This process can be time-consuming, as it may take weeks to get an appointment with a social worker, which is a waste of time for both the migrant and the social worker.

One of the forms that many migrants will encounter is the application for asylum benefits (Bürgergeld), which is typically about eight pages long. A lot of detailed information is requested from the migrant. When he or she opens this form, it causes even more anxiety because he or she normally will have no prior information on how to fill it out properly. As a result, he or she will have to wait for help from a social worker to fill it out. This service is mainly available for people living in shared accommodations (Gemeinschaftsunterkünfte). However, those living in private apartments, where no social worker is available, have to rely on friends to help fill out the form. In particular, refugees from Ukraine face this issue.

Another complex form is the application for a WBS (Wohngeldberechtigungsschein, or housing entitlement certificate). First, the migrant must request the form from the Jobcenter or Sozialamt. They sent it by post. This process usually takes two to three weeks. After receiving the form, the migrant must fill it out, often again with the help of a social worker. Even with the use of Google Translate, mistakes can be made in filling out the form, leading to the rejection of the WBS request. After completing the form, it must be submitted to the local Rathaus (town hall) and a fee must be paid. After about three to four weeks, the migrant can receive the WBS by post. However, in some areas, this process may be faster and can take less than a week.

One of the other forms that one can encounter is the Arbeitslosengeld application (unemployment benefits). This form can be filled out online through the Bundesagentur für Arbeit mobile application. Filling out this form is quite a hassle. On average it takes about three hours because some sections require uploading work-related documents, and sometimes the app malfunctions, causing the process to restart or display error messages.

In conclusion, these are just a few examples. Certainly, when one has children, one has to deal with many more forms, related to Kitas, schools and benefits.

Ali Ghaznawi

Notes

[1] Other relevant publications include: Wege aus dem Vakuum. Zukunftswerkstatt zur Integration Geflüchteter im ländlichen Raum (2022); Kein Plan, keine Hoffnung, keine Zukunft. Sackgassen für Flüchtlinge auf dem Lande (2021).

[2] I asked Afghan refugee Ali Ghaznawi to describe the documents he had been confronted with. His answer is in the appendix.