Germany has fallen behind its own integration goals for migrants and refugees this year, Welt am Sonntag reported on Sunday citing an official government response.

The waiting time for migrants to start integration courses rose to 12.5 weeks by the end of November, well short of the six-week goal the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) had set for itself earlier this year. In January, the wait time for an integration course was 10.9 weeks.

BAMF head Jutta Cordt has previously called the integration of migrants and refugees with long-term prospects of staying in the country a "central task."

Integration courses offer migrants and refugees German language training and provide an orientation to German law, history, culture and values.

On top of the high waiting times, BAMF also missed a goal of having 430,000 people participate in integration courses this year. Up to the middle of December, there were only slightly more than 280,000 participants in integration courses.

Only some 84,000 migrants and refugees participated in career-related language support courses, compared to a goal of 175,000 participants.

cw/bk (dpa, AFP)