Immigration office is well structured to meet the growing demands

Offenbach's Foreigners' Office in the town hall is one of the busiest offices in the city administration alongside the Citizens' Office. The war in Ukraine and Offenbach's steadily growing population meant that the office was able to report a further increase in numbers as of December 31, 2023.

In 2023, the 26 employees of the Immigration Office attended around 20,000 appointments and dealt with the concerns of a total of around 48,000 customers. In 2022, the figure was 42,000.

There was an increase in applications and requests in all areas. For example, 14,000 electronic residence permits, tolerated stay permits and residence permits, as well as almost 4,000 fictitious certificates were issued and around 150,000 cases were processed (in 2022 it was 145,000) - the majority digitally. A notable example of this is the digital contact form, which customers can use to initiate the majority of requests themselves, including the option to upload documents directly.

The specialist procedures used have developed significantly in recent months. Correspondence with authorities, courts and lawyers is now largely digital. The same applies to the various application routes as part of the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG). Before the pandemic (2019), employees processed around 85,000 non-public processes. There was a shift in this area due to the pandemic and digitalization.

The office was also involved in around 500 entry procedures for foreign nationals, issued just under 1,200 authorizations and just over 700 obligations to attend an integration course, as well as just over 1,250 declarations of commitment.

"These figures fill me with pride and I am grateful for the high level of commitment of my employees, especially in these challenging times, which continue to be characterized by the ongoing war in Ukraine and the steady increase in work due to the continuing population growth in Offenbach," says Clemens Mickler, Head of the Foreigners' Registration Office.

City Treasurer Martin Wilhelm is responsible for the Foreigners' Office. He knows that the employees are facing particular challenges due to the war in Ukraine and are continuing to work with great commitment for the people of Offenbach: "In these very challenging times, Clemens Mickler's team must find ways to deal with the many inquiries and concerns of customers as quickly as possible. Together - also with other municipal offices, such as the Citizens' Office, the Social Welfare Office and MainArbeit - the solutions found are working perfectly. In addition to the ongoing extra work due to the effects of the war in Ukraine, the team at the Foreigners' Office has also managed to cope well with the day-to-day business. In addition, the office is continuously developing all workflows and processes in the course of digitalization in order to meet the continuing high demands and constantly growing number of cases. I am pleased that the figures reflect the successful work of the office."

The changeover in all areas of the Foreigners' Registration Office in June 2020 to the exclusive appointment-only approach has also made longer waiting times for certain services a thing of the past for customers at the office. However, we ask for your understanding that due to the large number of services to be processed, it may take some time to respond to enquirers, including for appointments.

The Immigration Office has been based in the town hall since the beginning of April 2022. The entrance is located directly at the Herrnstraße playground.

Appointments can be made via the Foreigners' Registration Office contact form.