Hamburg Welcome Center
Each year, 30,000 new residents come to Hamburg from abroad. For many, the first address is the service center at Alter Wall, 11. Here they help with visa applications or the 'Blue Card' (the most sought-after services), explain how city life works, provide information about organizations involved in employment, as well as where and how to find housing and language courses.
About 20,000 requests are processed per year. 'Inquiries from specialists from Russia and Ukraine are received regularly,' DW was told by municipality representative Matthias Krumm. 14 employees promise to respond within 72 hours. Personal meetings should be scheduled 10 days in advance. Consultations are held in German and English. Contact information is on the center's website: www.welcome.hamburg.de
Service-Center für Internationale Fachkräfte in Munich
And in the Bavarian capital, foreign specialists have recently had their own guide. The center at the city administration building (Ruppertstraße, 19) is currently used by 7,000 people (700 of them from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus). According to director Sabine Schrottmann, most often questions concern obtaining or extending a visa, as well as formalities related to family relocation.
The center provides only advisory assistance, working in close contact with the Foreigners' Office and the Employment Agency. It has a staff of 12 employees who speak eight languages, including Russian and Ukrainian. Requests are accepted by email, and all details can be found on the service's website: www.muenchen.de
Dresden Welcome Center
The 'Florence on the Elbe' also needs an influx of specialists. Seven employees of the service center in the city hall are tasked with guiding them through the bureaucratic jungle. Schweriner Straße, 1 is the address for those in need of advice. 'We deal with visa issues, give practical advice, for example, on which school to send a child to, and plan the move,' says center head Doris Eckert.
The center's clientele includes several hundred people from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Working languages here are German and English. Information is provided by phone or email, and preliminary information is posted on the city website: www.welcome.dresden.de. And for those who want to work in science and culture, the Dresden Concept service (in the same building) advises on résumés.
Welcomecenter Hessen in Frankfurt am Main
'Your chance in Hessen!' – the service center's website does not make empty promises. This federal state welcomes new personnel in the technical industry, medicine, and the care of the sick and elderly. So far, specialists from the CIS are rare guests at Welcomecenter Hessen. Inquiries have been received from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Ukraine, and Tajikistan.
'Most often, people are interested in job vacancies, language schools, and the procedure for diploma recognition. We will answer any questions and help with writing a résumé,' emphasizes employee Julia Sternberg. The service website gives a first impression of the region. It also posts announcements of events for foreigners: www.work-in-hessen.de.
Welcome Center Thuringia in Erfurt
In the historic building at Willy-Brandt-Platz, 1 (opposite the train station), foreign specialists and those who want to receive vocational training will receive a warm welcome. By 2025, Thuringia will lack 280,000 personnel in industry and medicine. To solve this problem, the Agency for Specialist Recruitment was created here, which oversees the service center.
Today, its five employees provide individual consultations and answer all questions by email regarding study, work, and life in the federal state of Thuringia. A telephone hotline has also been set up. Contact details and opening hours are on the website: www.welcome-to-thuringia.de.
Stuttgart doubles its efforts
In the fall of 2014, the service center in Stuttgart also started receiving visitors. This city, like the federal state of Baden-Württemberg as a whole, needs IT specialists, technical specialists, specialists in childcare, and care for the sick and elderly.
Baden-Württemberg itself is a record holder in the number of Welcome Centers: there are more than a dozen here! At the Stuttgart service center, nine employees provide consultations. One of the working languages is Russian. Contact information is posted on the center's website: www.welcome.stuttgart.de. In addition, another service center operates in this city – for those specializing in care for the sick and elderly, as well as childcare. Details are on the service website: http://welcome-center-sozialwirtschaft-bw.de
North Rhine-Westphalia – bringing up the rear
North Rhine-Westphalia is also planning to open its own service center. Its employees have already been trained, but there is no premises in Essen yet: construction is being delayed. Meanwhile, in the Ruhr region, particularly in Essen, many large enterprises are located – RWE, ThyssenKrupp, Evonik – which are in urgent need of personnel with technical education and international experience.