#OfficialPerspective: Katrin Boufflé (Potsdam Immigration Office) sees staff shortages as the biggest problem for immigration authorities.

In the series “Perspective of the Immigration Office ( #AuthorityPerspective )”, we give the immigration office a voice. Often, in immigration law, there's a perception that authorities act unlawfully and erroneously due to personal motives, racist prejudices, or simply because of arbitrariness. While these cases certainly do occur in practice, it's often overlooked that this isn't necessarily a structural problem and that immigration offices face significant challenges. Limited budgets, difficulties in recruiting staff, frequent legislative changes, and a highly resistant legal profession make their work considerably more difficult. The resulting conflicts and problems aren't necessarily always the responsibility of the immigration office.

With the series “Perspective of the Immigration Office,” we aim to shed light on the practical challenges of administrative law, thereby contributing to a constructive public discourse. In the fourth episode of the series, we review the key statements made by Katrin Boufflé of the Potsdam Immigration Office in Stephanie Tonn's podcast “Administration Works” (Episode 4: “ Nerves of Steel ”). Their exchange illuminates the daily reality of the German migration administration and the immigration office in Potsdam – including the challenges, structural shortcomings, and opportunities that are of paramount importance, especially for international professionals and businesses.

Daily work at the Potsdam Immigration Office

This article examines the in-depth conversation between Stephanie Tonn and Katrin Boufflé, a former employee of the Potsdam Immigration Office ( Potsdam Foreigners' Registration Office ). A clear conclusion emerges: staff shortages, overwork, and outdated structures are the main reasons for slow procedures, long waiting times, and the sometimes poor reputation of many immigration offices.

At the beginning of the interview, Katrin Boufflé describes her path to the Potsdam Immigration Office, where she worked in the front office. There, she has daily personal contact with people from all over the world – often under considerable time pressure. Office hours in Potsdam traditionally begin at 9 a.m., extending to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Even before the building opens, the front office team prepares pagers, documents, cash registers, and coordinates with security. The processes described vividly illustrate the complexity of the front office operations at the Potsdam Immigration Office: Staff must simultaneously manage appointments, walk-in customers, document distribution, and payment processing. This can quickly lead to stressful situations.

#GovernmentPerspective - Staffing problems as a core issue in Potsdam

The most important message of the discussion is clear: structural staff shortages are the root cause of almost all the problems. At the Potsdam Migration Office, sick leave or vacations immediately lead to process instability. Waiting times increase significantly, appointments are postponed by months, and frustration arises for both applicants and staff. The discrepancy between people's expectations and actual capacity is particularly noticeable in the front office. Boufflé emphasizes that many complaints—for example, about lack of accessibility or slow processing—are due to objective resource scarcity.

Boufflé emphasizes that thorough onboarding and stable teams at the Potsdam Immigration Office are crucial for efficient processes, as high knowledge loss due to constant staff turnover lengthens processing times and damages the office's public image. She explains her own departure by citing a lack of family-friendliness—long office hours, strict attendance requirements, and a considerable commute—which raises the fundamental question of how immigration authorities must modernize their work models to retain qualified staff. Her suggestions range from working from home and digital consultation formats to flexible shift systems and part-time office hours, and are relevant far beyond the Potsdam Immigration Office.

Technical equipment for the Potsdam immigration office as a remedy for staff shortages

A key solution proposed by the interviewees concerns the digital modernization of public authorities. Boufflé describes in detail the technical problems at the Potsdam Immigration Office – including outdated pagers and a lack of call-out systems. Her proposals include modern call-out systems, digital pre-filtering of requests, social media for transparency, and virtual consultation hours. She reports that other municipal departments already have functioning call-out systems. Adopting such systems at the Potsdam Immigration Office could reduce waiting times, prioritize requests, and significantly improve internal processes. This perspective underscores that technological modernization is a crucial component for achieving better administrative outcomes.

Conclusion Opinion of the Potsdam Immigration Office

The conversation makes it clear that the Potsdam immigration office, like many government agencies, faces persistent prejudices: unfriendly staff, power imbalances, and a lack of empathy. However, Boufflé describes the opposite: her colleagues at the Potsdam migration office have shown a surprisingly high level of compassion. Many strive to work in a solution-oriented manner, especially under stress. At the same time, she acknowledges that occasional unfriendly situations arise due to excessive workload – not intentionally, but simply as a result of the sheer volume of work.

You might also be interested in:

• Naturalizations in Potsdam: How long does it take and does an action for failure to act have any prospect of success?

• Overview of authorities in the migration administration

• Website of the Potsdam Immigration Office