MIGRATION

In order to increase the number of deportations of rejected asylum-seekers, the EU states should mutually recognise such decisions, according to the European Commission. Today, an asylum-seeker rejected in one EU country can simply move on to another EU country and start the application process again there, said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson in Strasbourg on Tuesday. “This …

The German government has appointed a special representative on migration who is expected to negotiate with major origin countries of refugees in Germany. Joachim Stamp was named early March as Germany’s first-ever “Special representative of the federal government for migration agreements.” He’s been saddled with the responsibility of finding a solution to the about 250,000 rejected asylum-seekers who are tolerated …

A Nigerian woman who has been wanted in Italy since 2010, was on Wednesday flown from Abuja to Rome where she had been sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison for crimes including running a prostitution ring, Italian police has announced. The 48-year-old Joy Jeff was one of the few women on Italy’s most-wanted list of 100 dangerous fugitives, …

In a strong show of support for Guineans fleeing Tunisia, President Mamadi Doumbouya was at the airport in Conakry on 1 March to welcome 49 citizens who were repatriated via a special flight. Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power through a coup two years ago, greeted the returnees as they alighted the aircraft. The flight was organised by by …

According to the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), around 966,000 asylum applications (including subsequent applications) were submitted in the European Union in 2022. This is around 50 percent more than in the previous year. The figure does not include refugees from Ukraine who received “temporary protection” in the European Union. Most asylum applicants came from Syria (around 132,000), Afghanistan (129,000), …

Germany wants to recruit more skilled workers from Ghana. Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (both SPD) presented an initiative to this effect on Tuesday in Accra during their visit to the African country. The Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration in the capital city, which has been supporting Ghanaian deportees and returnees since …

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is not allowed to analyse the mobile phones of asylum-seekers without a concrete reason. This practice is inadmissible if other available findings and documents are not sufficiently taken into account, the Federal Administrative Court ruled in Leipzig on Thursday. For years, the BAMF, which is the central migration authority in Germany responsible …

The European Union (EU) wants to create a common European return system for so-called “illegal” migrants. To this end, the EU Commission presented a strategy paper in Brussels recently. “So far, we are not making good progress with the returns,” said EU Return Coordinator Mari Juritsch, who has been in office since May 2022. The number of repatriations had halved …

Every year, hundreds of migrants disappear on migration journeys across the world, the Central Mediterranean being the deadliest route with most recorded deaths. Where can relatives of missing loved ones turn for help? A special report by Ana P. Santos —- Every year, thousands of people attempt to escape persecution, conflict or destitution from Africa and the Middle East and …

The Opportunity Residence Act (“Chancenaufenthaltsgesetz”) comes into force on 1 January 2023. Tolerated persons in Germany who had been living in Germany for five years or more on the cut-off date of 1 October 2022 are to receive a residence permit “on probation”. Tolerated persons are people who are obliged to leave the country but are allowed to stay temporarily …

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube A migrant’s personal story of return, resolution, and resilience Tübingen – It’s a warm summer day in 2021. Musa Coker sits in the office of his return counsellor. He has visited the small office in Southwest Germany multiple times this year, seeking information, advice …

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube If you’re thinking of returning to your country of origin but have questions about what life is like in the country or what support you can receive once you’ve gone back, virtual counselling may provide you with the help you need. Virtual Counselling is …

A football tournament, staged by a group supporting Africans displaced by the war in Ukraine who are currently in Germany, kicks off on Saturday, 3 December. The Indoor Soccer tournament is one of the activities currently being implemented by Horizon Resource network under the auspices of the Help for Africans from Ukraine in Germany (HAUG) initiative to support Africans from …

More than 50,000 people have died on global migration routes since 2014, , according to a new report published by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on 23 November. Despite the increasing loss of life, little action has been taken by governments in countries of origin, transit, and destination to address the ongoing global crisis of missing migrants, the …

Germany wants to tackle the shortage of skilled workers by making it easier for qualified foreigners to work in the country. Federal Labour Minister Heil has now presented the key points of a proposed immigration law Germany’s Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil, a member of the SPD, has presented the key points of an immigration law proposal put forward by …

A group supporting Africans who had fled the war in Ukraine and are currently seeking refuge in Germany has launched a series of online information sessions. The webinar series, implemented by the non-profit organisation Horizon Resource Network under the auspices of ‘Help for Africans from Ukraine in Germany’ (HAUG), is to provide an orientation guide to the affected Africans, who …

Labour and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil will maintain higher benefit payments to refugees from Ukraine in Germany compared to asylum-seekers from other parts of the world. This is to remain the case even if their numbers increase significantly during the winter, he said. “People are fleeing from a terrible war that Putin has instigated,” Heil said in an interview …

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel was named winner of the prestigious Nansen Award for offering a haven to those fleeing violence at the height of the Syrian conflict, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday. Merkel, who stepped down last year after 16 years as head of government, welcomed the desperate Syrians at the height of the conflict in …

The Catholic mission organisation Missio has accused the German embassies in Nigeria and Kenya of discrimination against young visa applicants. Many of them invited for church youth meetings in Germany in October had not received visas, the organisation charged in Aachen. “Because they are young, they are generally assumed to be unwilling to return [after the end of their engagement …

Nearly 50,000 migrants were assisted to voluntarily return to their countries of origin with more than 113,000 reintegration activities supported globally in 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2021 Return and Reintegration Key Highlights report Last year saw an increase of global mobility. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of returns is still short of …