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Dr. Holger Kolb in WiWo: “If the state excludes Ukrainians from the labor market, these would be lost costs.”
- Isabelle Manoli
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Germany has lost over a million people from Ukraine . The majority of them came to Germany via the so-called Mass Influx Directive – a European instrument that grants temporary protection without the need for a regular asylum procedure. But as the war drags on, it becomes increasingly clear: this regulation is temporary – and Germany faces the question of how it intends to deal with this large group in the long term. Migration researcher Holger Kolb outlines clear recommendations for action in an interview with WirtschaftsWoche .
The German special solution: Citizen's income instead of asylum seeker benefits
Unlike many other European countries, Germany decided early on to include Ukrainians in the regular citizen's income system . This means: responsibility for job centers, comprehensive social benefits, and access to integration and language courses. A conscious decision – and a special path in integration policy. Critics like CSU leader Markus Söder are now calling for an end to this special status and for Ukrainians to be provided only under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act . But Holger Kolb disagrees: Anyone who assumes that a significant proportion of refugees will remain in Germany long-term must invest early in sustainable integration – and not prioritize short-term savings. A withdrawal from the citizen's income system would not only be questionable from an integration policy perspective, but also economically counterproductive.
Switching from temporary protection to regular residence permits: A smart strategy
Kolb recommends a clear change of strategy for the federal government: Those who work should specifically switch to regular residence permits for gainfully employed persons – regardless of whether the Mass Influx Directive is extended or not. While this switch has long been legally possible, in practice there are problems: Many immigration authorities reject corresponding applications or do not actively advise because they are overwhelmed by the volume of cases. For students from Ukraine, too , there is currently no realistic option to switch to other residence permits – they fall through the cracks because European directives explicitly prohibit switching to certain residence permits .
A special path for Ukraine: Expanding the Best Friends model
As a pragmatic interim solution, Kolb proposes including Ukraine in the so-called Best Friends model – a simplified residence permit for citizens from countries such as Canada, Australia, or South Korea. They only need to prove that they can support themselves and have a fair employment contract. Ukraine could also be added to this list by legal decree. This would reduce bureaucracy and facilitate integration – without fundamentally changing the legal framework.
Conclusion: Invest in integration now – instead of bearing high costs later
Germany is at a crossroads. Either it takes the temporary nature of the current regulations literally and risks pushing people who are capable of long-term integration out of the system – or it recognizes that the integration of Ukrainians makes sense not only from a humanitarian but also an economic perspective. Those who invest today save tomorrow. Those who opt for isolation now are wasting the potential of hundreds of thousands of motivated workers – and risk a setback in integration policy.
