Residence consequences of the war in Ukraine, support on the ground

The university has set up two websites that are intended to grow into central information resources. A website maintained by the Public Relations Department compiles resolutions and statements and also refers to local appeals for donations. Another website, maintained by the Public Relations Department, provides practical information for those directly affected. Both sites are still under construction. For initiatives, offers of help and case-related enquiries, the functional address ukraine@uni-goettingen.de is also available, which is processed by GI. Anke Anwand is still available as the central contact person for refugees at gefluechtetenarbeit@uni-goettingen.de as well as our usual contact address for prospective students and students international.study@uni-goettingen.de.

The City has also set up a website to provide current information to the public. It has also set up a crisis hotline at 0551 400 5000.

The state of Lower Saxony expects 40,000 refugees from Ukraine to be allocated in the short term. The city and district of Göttingen are preparing accommodation, including mass accommodation, but currently assume that this will only be needed for short-term accommodation: The city is collecting offers from hotels and guesthouses, as well as from private individuals who have agreed to take in Ukrainian refugees. Any costs are borne by the social welfare office. Access to these accommodations is provided by the Göttingen Police Department, which can be reached around the clock and is also present with officers at the train station. They can be reached by telephone at 0551 491 0.

From Wednesday of this week, a counselling centre for new arrivals from Ukraine will also be set up in the New Town Hall, in which the Foreigners' Registration Office will also participate. Access will be via the main entrance and the registration hall; a referral system within the building is being prepared.

Today, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Ministries of the Interior of the Länder reached decisions on the right of residence of Ukrainians. The BMI has been presenting the current legal and regulatory situation on its own website since last week. All Ukrainian citizens are included, regardless of when they entered the country:

Based on the EU's Mass Influx Directive of 2001, Ukrainian nationals receive a residence permit according to §24 AufenthG. The residence permit is initially issued for one year and is in principle renewable. It is issued directly by the Foreigners' Registration Office; it is not necessary to initiate an asylum procedure or to go to the BAMF / the State Reception Centre in Friedland. The Foreigners' Registration Office asks you to contact them by e-mail with a scan of your passport, because the office is still working in shifts and with reduced attendance due to the pandemic. The responsible processing department can be researched here. For pragmatic reasons, the title according to §24 of the Residence Act is also issued to persons who entered the country without a visa and have been in the country for less than 90 days (instead of extending the right of residence to 180 days as initially planned).

The residence permit according to §24 of the Residence Act provides access to benefits according to the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act (Aslybewerberleistungsgesetz) by way of a somewhat daring legal construction and thus establishes a minimum level of security. The contact point for this is the Social Welfare Office of the City of Göttingen. Foreigners' authorities in Lower Saxony also issue an unrestricted work permit and allow access to qualification and placement services provided by the Employment Agency. Studies or research are also possible, of course.

Special regulations for the admission of Ukrainian students at universities in Lower Saxony, for example in higher semesters, are not yet foreseeable on the part of Lower Saxony's legislature or ordinance-makers. For the time being, prospective students are referred to the regular procedure of applying for university places. If there are any changes, we will inform you as soon as possible. Our own decisions on the design of selection and admission procedures, which lie with the faculties (advanced degree programmes, doctorate), remain unaffected by this.

Students from the Russian Federation and Belarus are also affected by the current crisis. According to the current status, students who want to come to Germany can make use of DAAD funding in particular. New enrolment of Russian and Belarusian students is and remains possible without restrictions.

In terms of residence law, the current crisis has not led to any adjustments for students from Russia and Belarus. This also means that there are no special rights of residence for students who are about to return to Russia or Belarus. If there is no funding that would enable a further study project and, in this way, a right to stay, the only way currently possible is to initiate an asylum procedure. The application must be submitted to the branch office of the BAMF at the state reception centre in Friedland and is accompanied by an obligation to take up residence there, but opens up access to benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act. At this point, nothing can be said about the chances of success of such an asylum application.