Ukrainians feel disappointed after the end of citizen assistance
Ukrainians who arrived in Germany after April 1 are receiving unexpected news: they will no longer receive Bürgergeld (citizen income), but will be transferred to much lower asylum seeker benefits. In Berlin, long queues have formed in front of the consultation center near Treptower Park, where people are trying to understand how the new decision will affect their lives. Advisors confirm that the pressure is clearly increasing.
Germany currently provides income support to about 700,000 Ukrainians, including around 200,000 children. Under the new rule, about 83,000 people—most of them young individuals who have recently arrived—will lose this type of support. For these individuals, the decision means a significant reduction in financial assistance and greater difficulty entering the German labor market.
Among the affected is Andrei Mikov, a 21-year-old who came to Berlin from Odessa four months ago. Speaking fluent English, he says he realizes he has no political voice in Germany, but the rising cost of living makes this decision extremely harsh. He knows families that have drained their savings in just a few weeks. He suggests a simple solution: he would accept receiving a basic income and pay it back later—he emphasizes that many others would do the same.
Another young man, Miroslav Petryshyn, arrived in Berlin with his mother just a month ago. He also will not receive citizen income. He describes the decision as wrong because many Ukrainians depend on this support, but at the same time, he realizes that Germany is facing its own pressures. Like others, he is now trying to understand his residency status and what assistance he can receive.
The consulting center, managed by the Laru Helps Ukraine Association, expects a significant increase in workload once the law comes into effect officially. Germany currently hosts about 1.25 million Ukrainian refugees, and although employment rates among them are rising—around 242,000 were employed at the end of 2024—many still rely on government assistance. With the new policy, refugees and the organizations supporting them anticipate a difficult period ahead.