IQ NRW Teilprojekt: "IQ Anerkennungs- und Qualifizierungsberatung für Geflüchtete in den Integration Points Herford/Minden"

Case Studies

To obtain a license to practise medicine in Germany, a Kazakh doctor must pass a language test and a knowledge test

A doctor from Kazakhstan can prepare for the required examinations with the help of qualifying measures from the Integration through Qualification (IQ) funding program.

W.W. has been living together with his wife and child in Germany for 3 years. The 38-year-old was born in Kazakhstan. There he successfully completed his education and then studied for 8 years at the Vinnitsa National Medical University. In 2015, just before he came to Germany, he attained his doctor's degree.

For W.W., there is no question that he wants to work as a doctor in Germany. That is why it is particularly important to him to learn the language as quickly as possible, because he is aware that he cannot work successfully as a doctor without sufficient language skills. He attends several language courses and obtains a B2 language certificate. During this time he inquires in the Internet, from friends and acquaintances as well as German doctors about the access possibilities to the profession as a doctor in Germany. He also made his wish known at the Employment Agency. There, the responsible clerk draws his attention to the IQ recognition and qualification counseling. A free appointment for the recognition and qualification consultation is made with MOZAIK's IQ Consultant promptly. In the intensive initial and referral consultation, the consultant informs W.W. about the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG). Then questions about the formal procedure of the application are clarified, e.g. the responsible authority, necessary documents for the application, the format of the documents to be submitted, questions about costs and duration of the processing of the application. They then review the qualifications of W.W. from Kazakhstan together. W.W. is informed in detail by the IQ consultant on the subject of licensure, which is necessary for doctors with foreign qualifications to practice the profession in Germany. After W.W. has received all the necessary information on the so-called Recognition Act, he decides to file an application for licensure with the responsible district government. Together with W.W., the consultant prepares all necessary documents for the application.

After W.W. has submitted the application for licensure, he inquires about the IQ NRW subproject IQua Med of the mibeg-Institut Medizin, to which he was referred during the recognition consultation. Doctors have to pass a knowledge test. As preparation for the knowledge test, the doctors concerned can apply for a work permit for NRW. Before a work permit is issued, proof of general language and professional language must be submitted. The professional language examination is conducted by the Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the knowledge examination by the State Examination Office for Medicine, Psychotherapy and Pharmacy (LPA) in Düsseldorf. In this context, the mibeg-Institut Medizin offers seminars for people seeking recognition in medical professions in NRW. In cooperation with clinics and doctors' practices, tailor-made seminars are developed to prepare those seeking recognition for the professional language test and knowledge test.

W.W. now has the opportunity to successfully pass the necessary examinations with the help of an intensive course in medical terminology and an intensive course in human medicine as preparation for the knowledge test, which is expected to begin in October 2018.

Within the framework of a 3-month internship, there is the possibility to compensate for differences found

After examining the equivalence of the professional qualifications acquired and relevant professional experience from Iran, the IHK FOSA (Chamber of Industry and Commerce Foreign Skills Approval) identifies significant differences and expresses the partial equivalence of H.J.'s qualifications with the German reference profession of draughtsman. H.J. can compensate for these differences with an internship and attain the full equivalence. 

H.J. fled his homeland because of the war and has lived in Germany since 2015. The 24-year-old was born in Ahwaz, a town in the province of Chuzestan on the Persian Gulf. After finishing primary and secondary school in his home country, he attended the Islamic Azad University for one year. He then completed a two-year training as a draughtsman in an architects' office. After the training, he had the opportunity to work for another two years in the profession he had learned before fleeing to Germany.

In Germany, he first attended an integration course, then a B1 language course and finally obtained a B2 language certificate. Only after learning the German language he feels linguistically so well prepared that he wants to regain a foothold in his profession. The employees of Integration Point Minden draw his attention to MOZAIK's free IQ recognition and qualification counseling. There, he has the opportunity to get information about the so-called recognition act in his native language. All questions he has about this and which could not be answered satisfactorily or sufficiently so far, can now be answered by an expert consultant to his full satisfaction. After the first telephone contact with IQ Recognition and Qualification Counseling Centre MOZAIK, he is promptly invited to a free counseling appointment at which he is informed in Persian in the initial and referral counseling about the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG) in general and about the possibilities of recognition of his profession in detail. The first part addresses questions about the formal process of filing an application, such as the responsible office, the documents required for filing the application, the format of the documents to be submitted, and questions about the costs and duration of processing the application. H.J. then receives detailed information from the IQ consultant on the application to the IHK FOSA (Chamber of Industry and Commerce Foreign Skills Approval), which is responsible for the industrial and commercial professions.

In the last part of the recognition consultation, H.J. and the IQ consultant use the multilingual information sheets and checklists of MOZAIK gGmbH to compile the necessary documents for application to the IHK FOSA and clarify all further steps. Finally, a consultation appointment for H.J. at the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce is arranged. There he has again the opportunity to inform himself about the German reference profession and to be issued with certified copies of all documents which are necessary for the application at the IHK FOSA. After the cost assumption has been clarified by the Integration Point, the application is submitted to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce FOSA in Nuremberg.

In December 2017 H.J. receives the decision of the IHK FOSA. Taking into account the foreign training and relevant professional experience led the procedure for establishing equivalence to a partial equivalence with the German reference profession. The main differences lie in the area of cooperation with authorities and other parties involved in construction. H.J. now has the opportunity to compensate for these significant differences with a three-month internship. With the help of the MOZAIK consultant, he has already contacted various companies in Minden for an internship and is waiting for positive feedback.

Successful determination of equivalency for the professional training of the certified controller

Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Syria as well as relevant professional experience over 9 years lead to full equivalence with the German further education profession of the certified controller.

A. A., born in Syria in 1982, has lived in the Minden-Lübbecke district since 2015. Before fleeing from Syria to Germany, he worked for 9 years as a business economist. He studied business administration in Syria for 4 years at the State University in Damascus and successfully completed his studies in 2005. Once in Germany, he would like to work in an occupation appropriate to his qualifications. Can he look for a job directly on the labor market, or does he have to do an apprenticeship? Does he have to study again? On the Internet he searches for answers and information to find out what he has to do to be able to work in Germany. There, he finds a wealth of information about working in Germany. Some participants in his language course give him also a lot of information. In the end it is too much information, so that A.A. loses the overview and still does not know exactly what he has to do to be able to work in the learned profession. However, a participant from his language course who had previously attended an IQ recognition consultation on his professional qualifications from his country of origin can help him by passing on to him the contact details of the IQ recognition and qualification consultation for refugees at Integration Point Minden. After the first telephone contact with IQ Recognition and Qualification Counseling Centre MOZAIK, he is promptly invited to a free counseling appointment, where he is informed in Arabic in the initial and referral counseling about the Professional Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG) in general and about the possibilities of recognition of his profession in detail. The first part addresses questions about the formal process of filing an application, such as the responsible office, the documents required for filing the application, the format of the documents to be submitted, and questions about the costs and duration of processing the application. A. A. then receives detailed information from the IQ consultant on the application to the IHK FOSA (Foreign Skills Approval), which is responsible for the industrial and commercial professions.

In the last part of the IQ Consultation, A. A. and the IQ Consultant use the multilingual information sheets and checklists of MOZAIK gGmbH to compile the necessary documents for application to the IHK FOSA and clarify all further steps. Finally, a consultation appointment for A.A. at the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce is arranged. There, A. A. is informed about the further training occupation and the good prospects of the certified controller of interesting activities in the management of companies, good opportunities for promotion and good earning potential. After clarification of the assumption of costs, the application is submitted to the IHK FOSA in Nuremberg.

After the application and the examination of his acquired qualifications as well as his relevant professional experience acquired in Syria, it was determined that together with further training of the certified controller the full equivalence with the German exists. A. A. now has the opportunity to apply and work specifically on the labor market as a skilled worker in the area of the recognized profession.

Syrian electrical engineer gets a job in his learned profession due to full equivalence

As a result of the recognition of foreign qualifications from Syria, employment in the learned profession is secured

Mr. A. was born in 1993 in Syria and has lived in the Minden-Lübbecke district since the end of 2015 after fleeing Syria. In his homeland, Mr. A. attended primary school for 6 years and the Syrian technical secondary school for 3 years. He then completed a 2-year training course in electrical engineering at the state technical institute in Damascus. Shortly after graduation he has to flee Syria, so that he has no opportunity to work and gain experience in the profession he has learned in his home country.

At the time of his arrival in Germany, Mr. A. is 21 years old and highly motivated to find a job in his learned profession in Germany. Through well-intentioned advice from friends and acquaintances who have been in Germany for a longer time, he knows about the necessity of the German language. However, as he realizes that learning a language is not an easy process, he is also looking for information that can help him find a job. In connection with his job as an electrical engineer, he stumbles over the term training time and again and is firmly convinced in the end that there is no way around a 3-year apprenticeship in order to be able to work in Germany. Only at Integration Point Herford is he informed by his contact person, who supports him in his project. Subsequently, he is referred to IQ Recognition and Qualification Consulting for the refugees of MOZAIK gGmbH, which regularly provides advice on degrees obtained abroad at the Integration Points in Herford and Minden.

Soon after in April 2016, Mr. A. is invited to a free consultation in Arabic at Integration Point Herford. In the initial and referral consultation he is informed in general about the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG) and in the second step about the individual possibilities of recognition of his profession. Here, questions concerning the formal procedure of the application are also clarified, e.g. the responsible authority, necessary documents for the application, form of the documents to be submitted, questions regarding costs and duration of the processing of the application. Afterwards, all questions concerning the topic of training are discussed with the consultant. After all questions from Mr. A. have been answered clearly, it is clear that Mr. A. has the possibility to apply for the so-called equivalence test for the reference profession of electronics technician for industrial engineering at the IHK FOSA in Nuremberg.

An appointment is made together with the IQ consultant at the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Mr. A. receives all necessary authentications for his diploma as well as the application documents for the IHK FOSA, so that following the consultation Mr. A. can file the application.

Pleasingly, Mr. A. receives full equivalence from the IHK FOSA for his qualifications from Syria to the reference profession of electronics technician for industrial engineering. With this decision, Mr. A. sends applications to some companies in his immediate vicinity and is hired by one of these companies in Bad Oeynhausen. Mr. A. can now work in his profession without having to go through any (further) training in Germany.

Full equivalence in the reference profession of "Certified Controller" for Iranian refugees

Successful recognition of qualifications from Iran and India

Mr E., born in Iran in 1976, has lived in the Minden-Lübbecke district since 2015. After graduating from high school, he attended the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, Iran, and completed his studies with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Afterwards Mr. E. went to India to do his Master's degree at Sikkim Manipal University. In 2009 he completed his studies there with a Master of Business Administration degree. Back in Iran he worked for about 8 years in the accounting department, for some time as a manager, of a company.

In Germany, Mr E. would like to continue working in the profession he has learned. Since he does not yet have sufficient knowledge of German, but very good English skills, he tries to find out all sorts of information in English on the Internet on the subject of practising a profession in Germany in general and for his professional field in particular. At the Integration Point Herford he is supported by his contact person and is referred to the IQ Recognition and Qualification Consulting for refugees of MOZAIK gGmbH, which regularly provides advice on degrees obtained abroad at the Integration Points in Herford and Minden.

Mr E. is promptly invited to a free consultation appointment at Integration Point Herford, where he is informed in English in the initial and referral consultation about the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG). On the basis of his qualifications, Mr E. is informed about the individual possibilities of a possible recognition of his profession. With the help of the consultant, all questions that Mr. E. has listed in the course of his extensive research are dealt with. Some questions such as "What does regulated mean? Does it apply to my profession? I want to apply for recognition, but I don't know how to pay for it? Who can help me with this?" come into focus. After all questions for Mr E. have been clearly answered and the question about costs or assumption of costs has been clarified with the contact person at Integration Point Herford, it is clear at the end of the first consultation for Mr E. that he would like to submit an application for an equivalence assessment for the reference profession of accountant to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce FOSA in Nuremberg.

After compiling all necessary documents, an appointment is made together with the IQ consultant at the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce. There Mr E. receives all necessary certifications as well as the application documents for the IHK FOSA, so that the application can be submitted in December 2016.

After submitting an application to the IHK FOSA, Mr. E. returns to the IQ consultant at the Integration Point for follow-up consultation, because he has received a letter from the IHK FOSA regarding the application and needs assistance in order to be able to initiate further steps. The IHK FOSA informs him that on the basis of the available documents and the qualifications acquired by Mr. E., he is recommended to apply for an equivalence assessment for the reference profession „Certified Controller” instead of the reference profession of the accountant as previously planned. After joint research on the reference profession and establishing contact with the IHK FOSA, Mr. E. decides to accept the recommendation of the IHK FOSA.

The application for equivalence assessment for the reference profession "Certified Controller" is decided positively by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce FOSA, so that Mr. E. receives full equivalence. In the meantime, Mr. E. has improved his German language skills and works as a certified controller.

 

Iraqi Refugee applies for equivalence assessment as a health and nursing assistant

Qualifications from the country of origin are decisive for the profession in question 

Mr. A. fled Iraq in 2015 and has lived in the Minden-Lübbecke district ever since. In Iraq, he completed a 2-year training in healthcare and nursing at the Technical Institute in Dhuok and subsequently worked for about 4 years in the profession he had learned. Also in Germany Mr. A. would like to work in the profession he learned. He understands that learning the German language is an important part of being able to work in his profession successfully. From the very beginning he strives to learn the German language and now holds a B1 language certificate. Besides attending the language courses, Mr. A. tried to collect information about the profession of German health and nursing staff. He also inquired about requirements and possibilities to work in his Profession in Germany. He quickly realizes that his qualifications from Iraq may not be sufficient for him to be able to work in Germany. Through an acquaintance in the language course, he finds out that there is a law in Germany which enables people with foreign professional qualifications to work in the profession they have learned. The acquaintance also draws his attention to the IQ recognition and qualification advice for refugees in the Integration Points. Mr. A. contacts the counselor and is promptly invited to a free counseling appointment, during which he is informed in Kurdish in the initial and referral consultation about the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG). On the basis of his qualifications, Mr. A. is then informed about the individual possibilities of recognition of his profession. As Mr. A. had already correctly stated, two years of vocational training is not sufficient for the reference profession of health and nurse, which would also make it counterproductive to submit an application. However, there is the possibility to apply for an equivalence test for the reference profession of healthcare and nursing assistant. For Mr. A. this possibility is a good alternative to be able to work at least in the professional field he has learned. In the course of the consultation, questions on the formal application procedure, such as the relevant authority, the documents required for the application and the form of the documents to be submitted, and questions about the costs and duration of processing the application.

Mr. A. finally filed an application with the Landesprüfungsamt für Medizin, Psychotherapie und Pharmazie NRW (LPA) (Provincial Examination Office for Medicine, Psychotherapy and Pharmacy NRW) at the District Government of Düsseldorf and is currently waiting for a reply.

 

A refugee doctor from Syria files application for licensure with Detmold district government

In order to obtain the license to practice medicine, K.N. must pass the language test of the Ärztekammer Westfalen Lippe (the Medical Association of Westphalia Lippe) and the knowledge test at the Landesprüfungsamt für Medizin, Psychotherapie und Pharmazie (LPA) (State Examination Office for Medicine, Psychotherapy and Pharmacy NRW) in Düsseldorf.  This is the only way she can work successfully as a doctor in Germany.

Ms. K.N. fled from Syria to Germany in 2015 because of the civil war. Since then she lives with her family in Herford County. In her home country Syria, K.N. studied medicine at the State University in Aleppo for six years and successfully completed her studies in 2013. Before she fled Syria, she worked for about a year in her profession. When she arrived in Germany, it was her desire to work as a doctor. First of all, she tries to find out what she has to do to be able to work as a successful doctor in Germany. People who are in the same or similar situation at the time help her to find out some information about the recognition of her profession in Germany.


She soon realizes that there is a lot of information and well-intentioned advice, but she has difficulties sorting out all this information correctly. Then she is made aware of the free IQ recognition and qualification consultation for refugees at the Integration Point Herford by the responsible clerk. This leads to a prompt consultation appointment, where she is advised in Arabic in the initial and referral consultation, and is informed about the Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG) (Professional Qualifications Assessment Act) in general and about the possibilities of recognition of her profession in detail.

The first part addresses questions about the formal process of filing an application, such as the responsible office, the documents required, the format of the documents to be submitted, and questions about the costs and duration of processing the application. K.N. subsequently receives detailed information from the IQ consultant on the subject of licensure, which is necessary for doctors with foreign qualifications to practice their profession in Germany. Since the German Embassy (currently) in Syria does not carry out any legalisation, no equivalence assessment can be carried out by the district administration. Doctors must, therefore, pass a proficiency test. As preparation for the proficiency test, the concerned doctors can apply for a professional permit for NRW. Before a this permit is issued, evidence of the general language and the technical language must again be provided. The professional language examination is conducted by the Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the proficiency examination by the State Examination Office for Medicine, Psychotherapy and Pharmacy (LPA) in Düsseldorf. In this context, K.N. is referred to the IQ NRW subproject IQua Med of the mibeg-Institut for Medizin, which offers free seminars for people seeking recognition in medical professions in NRW. In cooperation with clinics and medical practices, tailor-made seminars are developed to prepare those seeking recognition for the professional language test and proficiency test. In the last part of the IQ Consultation, K.N. and the IQ Consultant use the multilingual information sheets and checklists of MOZAIK gGmbH to compile the necessary documents for the application to the district government and clarify all further steps in order to submit the application for the licensure to the district government.


Currently K.N. is waiting for the answer from the Detmold district government and is informing herself at the same time through the seminars of the mibeg-Institut Medizin. She is highly motivated and sure that she will pass all necessary examinations to be able to work as a doctor in Germany.

 

Engineer from Afghanistan applies for equivalence for the reference profession of draughtsman.

Should A.N. file an application to use the professional title or for recognition of a reference profession in the field of work he has studied? Or should he rather go to university?

Mr. A.N. fled Afghanistan to Germany in 2015 and has lived in Bünde (Herford district) since then. In Afghanistan he attended Dawat University's Faculty of Engineering in Kabul for 5 years (until 2014) and graduated as a civil engineer. Since he was not familiar with the education system in Germany, he was at first not quite sure how and where he could find a job with his degree. At the Migration Counseling Center of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt Ostwestfalen-Lippe e.V. (AWO) he is made aware of the IQ recognition and qualification counseling for refugees in the Integration Points Herford/Minden. Together with his contact person at the AWO, they arrange a meeting with IQ Consulting at the Integration Point Herford in the near future.

During the intensive recognition and qualification consultation, Mr. A.N. was informed in detail by the IQ consultant on the procedure of the Vocational Qualification Assessment Act (BQFG). In this context, Mr. A.N. and his Contact Person at AWO were given an explanation of terms such as regulated and non-regulated professions and federal and state legislations in the context of recognition laws. This was of paramount importance because Mr. A.N.'s qualification is one of the state-regulated professions.

At the age of 26, Mr. A.N. is open to all potential possibilities for his acquired qualifications, so that both an application to the District Government for permission to use the professional title of engineer for him and an application to the relevant chamber in order to obtain equivalence for the reference profession of "draughtsman" can be considered. The possibility of studying if permission to use the professional title is not granted would be another option for A.N. Thus, he could possibly acquire an equivalent degree from a German university with the help of his already acquired qualifications.

With the help of multilingual information pamphlets, all necessary documents for the application, both with the district government and the responsible chamber, can now be compiled with the help of the checklist, after the IQ consultant has explained Mr. A.N. all necessary steps for the application and all open questions regarding duration, costs and possibilities of cost assumption.

Subsequently, an appointment is arranged with the responsible chamber locally and information on study counseling at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences is provided. Mr. A.N. is confident that his qualifications from Afghanistan will give him an opportunity to work as a qualified professional in Germany. He will first make an application to the IHK FOSA and is looking forward to a favorable decision.

 

Young dental technician from Iraq seeks "full equivalence"

Mr. A. was born in Iraq and migrated to Syria at a young age. Due to his young age and his good language skills, he was able to quickly gain a foothold in Syria and thus had the opportunity to complete a school education with a good certificate. He then successfully completed training as a dental technician. Since 2015 he has been living in Bünde (Herford District) because he had to flee Syria.

After the young man was accepted by employees of the Integration Point Herford, it soon became clear that with the qualifications he had already acquired, he had good opportunities for long-term integration in the German labor market. An appointment was made with the IQ Recognition and Qualification Advice Center for Refugees at the Integration Point Herford. Mr. A. received comprehensive advice in the initial referral consultation on all his options in the context of the recognition laws. The consultation took place in his language of origin (Kurdish), so that it could also be guaranteed that the topic "equivalence" was understood by the person seeking advice. After the IQ consultant had explained to Mr. A. all necessary steps for the application, open questions to necessary documents, costs in the recognition procedure with the help of the multilingual information pamphlets, which were developed by the MOZAIK team for the consultation, an appointment was agreed upon together with the IQ consultant with the responsible office. All the necessary documents for the application were compiled together with the help of a checklist and handed over to the young man.

Mr. A. can now file an application for equivalence with the Handwerkskammer Ostwestfalen-Lippe zu Bielefeld (the Chamber of Crafts in Bielefeld), which in this case is the responsible office for the profession of dental technician.



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