The number of people applying for asylum in Germany for the first time has been decreasing since the fall of 2023.
The Bundestag has tightened the rules for granting asylum and access to the labor market for its applicants in Germany. According to Deutsche Welle, the document, which was previously approved by the Bundestag's committee on internal affairs, was supported by deputies from the ruling parties - the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), while members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), as well as the Greens and the Left Party, voted against it. As a result, the ruling 'grand coalition' in Germany has largely transferred the reform, adopted at the EU level back in 2024, into national legislation.
Key elements of the reform include mandatory identity checks for arrivals, as well as the consideration of asylum applications at the external borders of the EU for individuals from countries with low recognition rates for refugee status. Germany, being centrally located in Europe, is affected only in relation to international airports and seaports. In the event of a denial, asylum seekers can be deported directly from there.
Asylum seekers residing in reception facilities will be able to start working in Germany after just three months. Currently, they are effectively subject to a six-month employment ban. For those not residing in such facilities, the three-month period is already in effect. The Federal Employment Agency will be able to make exceptions in individual cases for residents of initial reception facilities.
The number of people applying for asylum in Germany for the first time has been decreasing since the fall of 2023. While around 230,000 initial applications were submitted in 2024, this number fell by about half last year to 113,000. Experts believe that alongside controls at internal borders, the change of power in Syria in December 2024 also played a role.
Leave a comment