The German Federal Commonwealth** is planned inIn June this year, an exclusive refugee benefit: the refugee payment card (bezahlkarte) was introduced
Fourteen federal states agreed to roll it out
As of now,Fourteen of the 16 federal states have agreed on common criteria。The states of Bayern and Mayzen have opted to launch payment cards according to their own schemes.
Among them, Bayern plans to be the first to launch at the end of March. Governor Soder said we don't want to waste any time.
At that time, refugees who come to Germany to seek asylum will be able toReceive state benefits in the form of credit, not in the form of cash as before
Miscellaneous: Credit cards with debit function, the amount of cash and other additional features at the discretion of each state;
It can only be used in Germany, not abroad, and may also be subject to regional restrictions;
Card-to-card transfers are not supported.
The card is designed to reduce illegal immigration
According to the Federal Statistical Office, at the end of 2022, around 482,300 people in Germany received standard benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act; Data for 2023 has not yet been released.
According to people familiar with the matter, the real goals of the federal and state governments are to curb illegal immigration, stop domestic immigration, eliminate smuggling crimes, and simplify administration. In short:Reduce the number of immigrants who leave immediately after receiving German benefits
Back in December, when Kreis Greiz piloted a refugee payment card in the pilot area, 15 people said "we don't need a card, we just want cash", and they left after seeing that they couldn't get the money.
Experts believe there are three main problems
However, experts are skeptical and even believe that the card can have a negative impact:
Payment cards add to the cost.
If the payment system is not properly designed, the supermarket will be.
If money transfers abroad are not supported, more people may leave their home countries and come to Germany.
Herbert Brücker, an immigration expert at the Institute for Employment Research, said: ".There is little credible evidence that the amount of benefits provided to refugees affects the number of asylum applicants
There is also no evidence to support the claim that many refugees send remittances back to their countries of origin。"We know from our research that only 10 to 20 percent of refugees send money, but the amount of money sent is small," Brücker said. It is simply unrealistic to think that this is being used to finance stowaways".
On the contrary, Brücker believes that if the design of the payment card is not clever enough, it can even have a negative impact. "For example, if this kind of card is limited to certain supermarkets, then there **might**.
In any case, the introduction of payment cards will increase costs, for example for entrusted financial service providers. ”
What do German netizens think
How does misanthropy spread here? It is so inhumane that refugees are relegated to beggars here.
Have you ever wondered how badly the remaining taxpayers are being squeezed and how hard it is to find affordable housing?
If you feel inhumane, take in refugees in your home and sponsor them. It's not entirely up to you.
Surely, can they go home to work? Maybe it's harder than living in vain in our social system. But honestly, is that our problem?
I'm German and unfortunately I only get 100% of my disability pension because I'm sick. Will I still be able to get housing, water, electricity and payment cards in the future? I forgot that there was still pocket money.
Where did the experts go when it comes to solving the problem of migration? I've always believed that experts are here to find solutions, not to criticize other people's solutions.
Payment cards even need to be expanded further. Because many Ukrainians live here only in the winter and return to Ukraine in the summer. But the money in the account here is still there, and they happily use it to pay off loans or live over there. Now it's an open secret.
Soder began to make his own little moves again. What a blessing is thanks to federalism.