Germany has adopted new legislation designed to help refugees integrate into the country.
The law also sets down refugee rights as well as responsibilities in their new nation.
The bill was approved by parliament and will be presented to the upper house for final ratification on Friday.
The legal measures require migrants and refugees to integrate in exchange for permission to live and work in the country.
The law provides for subsidised courses for language and on culture and laws. It also opens a path to employment. A previous law requiring employers to give preference to German or EU job applicants over asylum seekers will be suspended for three years.
The government plans to create some 100,000 "one-euro jobs" - work schemes that were designed initially for the long-term unemployed and paid by a government subsidy of between €1 and €2.50 euros an hour in addition to benefits.
"The acquisition of the language is also necessary for provisional right to remain," the law states. Permanent residence will be considered only if the refugees can command adequate German and has secured their own living.
For a period of three years, regional governments will have the power to decide where refugees may live, either by allocating them to certain areas or banning them from others.
Refugees face cuts to benefits or the denial of residence permits if they do not participate in the mandatory integration measures.
Yesterday, the German parliament approved tougher laws for anyone of any nationality who commits a sexual assault. But for convicted refugees seeking asylum, the law stipulates a jail term to be followed by deportation to the person’s home country.
In the 1960s and 1970s, many foreigners were invited to work in Germany, including Turks, Italians, Spanish and Portuguese.
Although they contributed substantially to the German economic miracle, there was little help for integration or citizenship. Chancellor Merkel said that when the new bill was first drawn up in April that Germany must face the challenge to help newcomers integrate.
Some in Germany think that the recent influx of newcomers may help the country alleviate its weak demographic position. The low birthrate for German mothers means there an insufficient number of workers in the future will seriously dent Europe’s leading economy.
Government figures show a total of 476,649 asylum applications in 2015. Most do not yet speak German and all requiring some kind of social assistance to be helped onto the job market. It is anticipated that not all of these applications will be successful.
