Integrationsbeauftragte (Commissioner for Integration) - Legal advice on migration law

Das Willkommenszentrum (Welcome Centre) is the advice centre of the Beauftragte des Berliner Senats für Integration und Migration (Commissioner of the Berlin Senate for Integration and Migration). It offers counselling for immigrants and newcomers, people without German citizenship, and people with a history of migration, as well as for their family members. The advice centre provides counselling on topics such as arrival, entry and residence, social benefits, work and training, and more. A permanent team of counsellors and interpreters works here, providing information, advice and support individually and in multiple languages, as well as together with cooperation partners. The team of legal counsellors also provides support on all questions relating to entry, residence and freedom of movement law, asylum law, access to the labour market, impending deportation, and questions of naturalisation and nationality law. This service is also available to people without legal status. All questions relating to migration law are treated confidentially, and the counsellors are bound by a duty of confidentiality. In special cases involving impending termination of residence, proceedings may be initiated via the Berliner Härtefallkommission (Berlin Hardship Commission) with the aim of securing the right of residence (hardship counselling).