Use of AI by Berlin administration: Opportunities for residency rights?

A letter from the immigration office often decides everything: work or unemployment, family life or separation, safety or insecurity. But what happens when no one understands this letter ? When complicated bureaucratic language, convoluted sentences, and legal jargon are barely comprehensible even for native speakers—let alone for people who have only recently arrived in Germany? This is precisely where a massive problem arises, one that not only affects individual fates but also touches upon structural questions of the rule of law.

Berlin plans to tackle this problem with artificial intelligence . In the future, official texts will be translated into citizen-friendly or even simplified language using AI. While this may seem purely technical at first glance, it could actually have profound legal and social implications – particularly in immigration and visa law .

Administrative language as a systemic problem

German administrative language has developed historically, is highly formalized, and is heavily influenced by legalistic language. Precision takes precedence over comprehensibility, and legal certainty over clarity. This results in documents that are legally correct but practically inaccessible . Even for well-integrated migrants with solid German skills, many official notices, hearings, or letters of demand are difficult to understand.

This problem is particularly acute in immigration law. The regulations of the Residence Act, the Employment Ordinance, the Residence Ordinance, and numerous administrative regulations form a highly complex web . When this web is communicated in typical bureaucratic German, massive barriers to understanding arise. Deadlines are overlooked, requirements are misinterpreted, and supporting documents are submitted incompletely. The result is rejections, delays, and legal disadvantages, often solely attributable to communication problems.

AI as a translator between administration and reality

The Berlin approach of using AI to translate bureaucratic language into citizen-friendly or plain language is therefore an important step. AI can transform texts into clearer structures, break up long, convoluted sentences, explain or replace complicated terms, and extract the core information. This creates a new level of comprehensibility that traditional forms or information leaflets can hardly achieve.

This approach is particularly important for foreign applicants. Many lack sufficient German language skills to correctly interpret legally complex documents. Furthermore, the German legal system is unfamiliar to them. Terms like "duty to cooperate," "grounds for refusal," "discretion," or "condition subsequent" require explanation even for native speakers . AI can bridge this gap by translating the content into everyday, understandable language without distorting the legal meaning.

New opportunities in the visa and residence permit process

The use of AI offers particularly great potential for visa and residence law. Many people already use AI tools to translate, explain, or render letters from immigration authorities into understandable language. Time and again, it becomes clear how much understanding improves when legal texts are clearly structured and simplified.

In our legal practice, we regularly observe that clients only truly understand official notices when they are translated into a simple, logical sequence. What exactly is required? By when? What consequences are threatened? What courses of action are available? AI can answer these key questions clearly in just a few sentences, thus creating the basis for well-informed decisions.

At the same time, authorities also benefit from clearer communication. Inquiries, incomplete applications, incorrect submissions, and unnecessary appeals tie up enormous personnel resources. Clearly worded letters can significantly reduce these inefficiencies and thus contribute to more efficient procedures – an aspect that can hardly be overestimated given the chronic overload of many immigration offices .

Legal precision and human oversight remain indispensable.

However great the opportunities may be, AI cannot and must not replace legal review. Administrative letters must remain legally sound , and deadlines and instructions on legal remedies must not be diluted. The challenge lies in striking a balance between comprehensibility and legal precision. AI can provide valuable preliminary work, but the final review must remain with qualified professionals . Especially in the sensitive area of immigration law, where existential decisions are made, legal counsel remains indispensable. AI can explain, structure, and translate – but it cannot develop an individual legal strategy, assess the chances of success, or make tactical decisions. Its strength lies in accessibility, not in legal analysis.

Conclusion: A quantum leap for comprehensibility and fairness

The use of AI to simplify administrative language is far more than a digitization project. It is a step towards greater legal clarity, equal opportunities, and fairness. Especially for foreigners who are unfamiliar with the German legal system and language, AI can make all the difference. When official letters no longer deter but inform, when they no longer confuse but provide guidance, then public administration truly becomes more citizen-friendly. For visa and residency law, this represents a genuine turning point. AI can be the key to dismantling legal barriers and sustainably improving access to justice – a goal that should be at the heart of a modern, open, and rule-of-law-based migration policy.