As more people continue to flee Afghanistan and migration picks back up after the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, there will be a significant increase in the number of asylum applications submitted in Germany.
In Germany, there was a significant increase in asylum requests last year. The numbers increased to levels last seen in 2017, when more than 222,600 people, primarily those fleeing the Syrian civil war, applied for protection in Germany.
Applications from Afghanistan have increased significantly as a result of the Taliban takeover and the country’s subsequent economic collapse. More than 31,000 Afghans applied for asylum last year. However, according to BAMF statistics, those fleeing Syria make up the majority of those seeking asylum, with over 70,000 applications.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) reported that in 2021, Germany granted asylum to about 190,800 people. This represents a sharp increase of nearly 70,000 from 2020, when Germany received nearly 122,000 asylum applications.
However, the Federal Interior Ministry noted that due to the impact of global travel restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic on migration, a comparison with the asylum figures for 2020 may be misleading.
Highest numbers since 2016
According to the statistics, out of the 244,132 applications, about 218,000 were for first-time asylum. Thats an increase of 47% compared to the previous year.
According to the dpa news agency, this means that more people requested asylum in Germany last year than at any other time since 2016.
The total number of initial applications for asylum had peaked in 2016 at 722,370. But after that, until 2021 and 2022, the number of asylum seekers in Germany continued to decline steadily.
Continue reading: Europe struggles to help the most asylum seekers in six years
Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey in top three
Afghanistan and Syria were the countries with the most asylum seekers in 2022; 70,976 Syrian nationals applied for asylum in Syria last year, an increase of 29. 3% compared to the previous year.
Afghan nationals placed second with 36,358 initial applications. Here, BAMF recorded a significant increase of 56. 2%, which is linked to the violent takeover of the Taliban in August 2021
But those seeking asylum from Turkey saw the biggest percentage point increase; in 2022, nearly 24,000 Turks did so, a 238 percent increase. 7% compared to the previous year.
Additionally, Georgia, Iran, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Somalia are among the top ten countries of origin.
More than half of all cases lead to positive decisions
The Federal Office added that it made affirmative decisions in 56 instances. 2% of all cases, while about one in five applications were rejected outright
However, BAMF also pointed out that the rates of acceptance in various origin nations varied significantly:
Syrians seeking protection received a positive decision in 90. 3% of all cases. In the case of Afghans, 83. 5% of all applicants succeeded with their asylum cases.
Meanwhile for Iraqi nationals, the protection rate was only 22. 5% — less than one in four applicants.
BAMF working faster – but still not fast enough
For both initial and follow-up applications, the processing time for asylum applications in 2022 averaged seven months. 6 months nationwide, which represents a significant improvement over the prior year
A total of 228,673 asylum applications, including initial applications and so-called follow-up applications, have received decisions, according to BAMF. Compared to the prior year, this represents a more than 50% increase in the number of decisions.
According to the BAMF statistics, only about 26,000 follow-up applications were submitted in 2022, a significant decrease from the prior year.
Even though the German Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is making great efforts to streamline the asylum process, there is still a sizable backlog.
Despite improvements, BAMF still suffers backlog
Regarding the types of protection provided, roughly one in four applicants for asylum received so-called subsidiary protection.
Around 13% of cases were issued a ban on deportation, which means they can reside in Germany on a temporary basis but without long-term perspectives
Just over 22. 3% of asylum applications were resolved by other means, such as transfer to another EU country under the Dublin agreement or withdrawal of the application
According to BAMF, the Federal Office had not reached a decision in 136,448 cases as of the end of the previous year.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior added that more than a million war refugees from Ukraine had also been registered in Germany to these figures.
The majority of them, according to the Interior Ministry, are women and children because most Ukrainian men are conscripted to fight in the conflict.
However, because of the war in their country, Ukrainians are exempt from applying for asylum in Germany and are not counted in the statistics for asylum. Some people believe this is unfair and view it as preferential treatment.
Russians fleeing oppression and persecution
Regarding the number of Ukrainian war refugees, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that the Russian war of aggression had “sparked the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II.” “.
She continued by stating that society as a whole, as well as the federal, state, and local governments, had made “great effort” to ensure the protection and welcome of the Ukrainians in Germany.
Russia has now been added as one of the primary countries of origin for those requesting asylum as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. According to BAMF, 2,851 Russian nationals applied for asylum in 2021, with 529 of those applications being submitted in December alone.
However, Russians only accounted for 1. 3% of the total applications submitted.
More funds to deal with refugees and migrants
Faeser, in contrast, emphasized that Germany’s humanitarian duty extends further, citing the nation’s acceptance of refugees from other nations.
“People are fleeing war and terror in other parts of the world, too,” Faeser said. “This is reflected in the notable increase in the number of asylum applications submitted in 2022.”
Faeser noted a number of border control measures implemented in the previous year when claiming that Germany had “taken numerous measures to manage and organize migration flows to Germany more effectively.”
She emphasized the expansion of transient stationary border controls in Bavaria along the Austrian border. She added that a joint check on Swiss trains and at the Swiss-German border had been agreed upon as part of an action plan with Switzerland.
Furthermore, Faeser emphasized that the federal government had allotted 3 5 billion euros to German states and municipalities in 2022 to assist refugees, with an additional 2 75 billion euros had been agreed this year.
Read more: Without policy changes, the EU refugee crisis could get worse in 2023.
with AFP, dpa, EPD, KNA, Reuters
Inside Germany’s refugee crisis
FAQ
How many refugees does Germany accept a year?
Migration to Germany this year is expected to surpass the European migrant crisis of 2015, with a million Ukrainian refugees and 200,000 anticipated asylum claims.
Is it easy to get asylum in Germany?
After three years, you might already be granted a permanent residence permit if you speak German exceptionally well (C1 standard) and provide for yourself almost entirely on your own. The same holds true if constitutional asylum (alienation eligibility) is granted in addition to the recognition of refugee status.
How many Applied for asylum in Germany?
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has tallied approximately 214,253 asylum requests so far in 2022. In 2021, there were 190,816 thousand applications. Total number of applications for asylum in Germany from 1995 to 2022 CharacteristicNumber of asylum applications in thousands200730,303.
What is the country that accepts the most refugees?
Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees, with 3. 7 million people. Colombia is second with more than 2. 5 million, including other people in need of international protection. Welcome to UNHCR’s Refugee Population Statistics Database. Syrian Arab Republic6. 8 millionAfghanistan2. 8 millionSouth Sudan2. 4 million.