Dobrindt wants to significantly tighten German tests for immigrants - Greens react outraged

The Green Party budget politician Leon Eckert has criticized Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU)'s plans to tighten German tests for foreigners. Dobrindt suggested this to prevent attempts at fraud.

Eckert told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ) that exam fraud must be prosecuted. But instead of tightening the rules for “all honest examinees”, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) must close its “security leak”.

"Mr. Dobrindt halves the German courses, eliminates most repetition opportunities and then raises the exam hurdle. This is not combating fraud, this is austerity policy on the backs of those who want to learn German," said Eckert.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, there have been complaints about increased attempts at cheating on German tests. Participants in the integration courses had therefore “illegally acquired the written test tasks and solutions over the Internet” and entered them in the “listening and reading” part of the exam. Minister Dobrindt now wants to issue a regulation that exams will no longer be considered passed if other parts of the exam have not been completed or have been completed insufficiently.

The Union faction's domestic policy spokesman, Alexander Throm, welcomed the planned changes. It is “absolutely right” that the Federal Minister of the Interior examines “how to put a stop to trickery and fraud” during the language tests, Throm told the “NOZ”. He also supports increasing testing requirements. “After all, language skills are not a formality, but rather an important proof of integration,” argued Throm.

He refers to around 1.3 billion euros in tax money that went to the integration courses in 2025. Trickery and fraud by participants revealed a “particular disrespect”.

According to “Bild”, 318,550 immigrants took the German test last year. In most cases it is the conclusion of the integration course. Of this group, 175,193 (55 percent) reached the B1 language level, with which foreigners can communicate in German in everyday life. 102,663 (32.2 percent) achieved the lower A2 level and 40,694 (12.8 percent) remained below the A2 level.