83,000 Ukrainians lose citizen benefits in Germany: Here are the changes
Ukrainians arriving in Germany starting April 1, 2025, will no longer be eligible for citizen allowances and will instead receive only asylum seeker benefits, reducing financial support and healthcare for affected refugees.
Currently, about 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees live in Germany, and around 700,000 of them receive citizen allowances. Under the new rules, about 83,640 people will be excluded from this support, according to reports from the Bild newspaper. Individual beneficiaries currently receive 563 euros per month in addition to rent, heating, and mandatory health insurance costs, while newcomers will receive only 441 euros per month with reduced medical care services.
The reform is scheduled to come into effect on July 1, 2026, but it will be applied retroactively from April 2025. It is likely that Ukrainian refugees who previously received citizen allowances will not have to repay the amounts, as the draft law does not provide for systematic recovery of previous payments.
The proposal faced strong resistance from municipalities and states, who considered the matter too complicated to implement. CSU leader Markus Söder had previously called for the exclusion of all Ukrainian refugees from citizen allocations, pointing to the increasing numbers of newcomers and the pressure on social services.
Recent changes in Ukrainian regulations have allowed young people aged 18 to 22 to leave the country. Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed in a call with President Zelensky that Ukrainian youth are needed in their homeland and should not migrate to Germany in large numbers. At the same time, Germany's support remains among the highest in Europe, although refugee employment rates remain low compared to countries like Poland.