After one particular family has managed to amass tens of thousands of euros through clever maneuvers, the competent authority conceded that the system can indeed be circumvented.

In the past year, a Ukrainian family residing in Germany managed to receive 40 thousand euros in benefits, even though they were living in their home country. The labor office consistently provided them with approximately €3,200 monthly in citizenship benefits, rent, and heating allowances, as reported by Focus. The family of four swiftly secured an apartment and a spot in a crèche, a privilege often elusive for local Germans

After realizing that the war would persist, the family returned to their home in western Ukraine in early 2023. Upon their winter comeback to Schleswig-Holstein, they continued exploiting German taxpayers’ money in the same manner during their time back home. The deception came to light when, on their winter return, the family sought a school placement for their eldest child.

Speaking to Focus, the Federal Employment Agency confirmed that exploiting the welfare system in this manner is not impossible. While Ukrainian refugees are legally on par with German citizens in these matters, some of the control mechanisms are not rigorously enforced.

Officially, one can only qualify for such benefits if their assets are below €40,000. However, while this is easily verifiable for Germans, for Ukrainians, it operates on a declaration-based system. The authorities can only verify the information provided as „data” by the Ukrainians, Steffi Ebert, the head of the employment centre in Schmalkalden-Meiningen, Thuringia, told Focus.

However, in the case of the family in western Ukraine, the primary factor leading to taxpayers unwittingly funding unnecessary benefits was not the absence of asset control. Instead, it stemmed from a breakdown in communication between state institutions. The labor office was unaware that the boy had discontinued attending day care. While such checks are not standard practice, they are routinely carried out by authorities. However, since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, the influx of arrivals to Germany has overwhelmed its offices and authorities. Consequently, it is not uncommon for some individuals to exploit the system and receive significant funds, essentially from German taxpayers.

According to November statistics, approximately 700 thousand Ukrainian refugees are receiving national assistance in Germany, with the majority of them being unemployed. At that time, only around 19 percent of Ukrainians were employed. Matthias Jendricke, chairman of the Nordhausen district council in Thuringia, described the situation as „disappointing.”

The social democratic politician initially believed that integrating Ukrainians into the labor market would be easier compared to other refugees. In the weeks following the Russian attack, he even arranged for buses to transport Ukrainian refugees from Berlin to his region, addressing an urgent labor shortage. However, ‘things have turned out completely wrong,’ with only a fraction of the refugees expressing interest in entering the labor market.

Joachim Walter of the CDU shares a similar perspective. As the county council president in the Tubingen district of Baden-Württemberg, he notes that the willingness of Ukrainian refugees to engage in work has been significantly diminished by the assistance provided.