Members of the Black community in Germany will hit the streets of Cologne on Saturday, 18 January to register their protest against the controversial decision of a court that describing people of African descent as “neger” is not necessarily derogatory. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) had ruled on 19 December that sanctioning the leader of the AfD …
Read More »Berlin’s new State Office for Immigration takes off
The Berlin Ausländerbehörde (Berlin Foreigners’ Registration Office) became the Landesamt für Einwanderung (“State Office for Immigration”) on 1 January 2020. Berlin became the first German state to establish an independent agency for immigrants in anticipation of the new Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz (Skilled Labour Immigration Act), which goes into effect in March. For the director of the State Office for Immigration, the new …
Read More »German Chancellor’s New Year Message: ‘Dedicating all my strength’
The German chancellor struck an encouraging tone in what is likely to be one of her last New Year’s addresses. Merkel addressed the challenges of the climate crisis, digitalization and migration. The climate crisis, the digitalization of the labour market, and European solidarity on migration formed the main themes of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s traditional New Year’s address, broadcast on Tuesday evening. But …
Read More »New laws and regulations in Germany from January 2020
Numerous new laws and regulations take effect in Germany from 1 January 2020. These include a minimum stipend for job trainees, reduced VAT for train tickets and hygiene products for women, increases in welfare benefits, tax relief for families as well as new opportunities for the regularisation of the residency status of tolerated asylum-seekers. ———— Doctor’s appointments round the clock …
Read More »Germany: 5 very important legal changes that entered into force in 2019
These are very important amendments to laws or new regulations – affecting withdrawal of German citizenship from dual nationals, minimum wage, HIV prophylaxis etc – that entered into force in the course of 2019
Read More »“Stop bastardising Igbo culture in Germany!” – Group warns
“Ndi-Igbo Germany is calling on all Ndi-Igbo, both home and abroad, to join hands with us and halt this cultural aberration which erodes, cheapens and bastardizes our value system of hard work, honesty and enviable benefit-and-reward system."
Read More »Germany struggles to deport rejected asylum-seekers, says police chief
Germany’s federal police chief said a lack of pre-deportation facilities is hampering the deportation of rejected asylum seekers and illegal foreigners to third-countries. Germany is struggling to deport rejected asylu-seekers, the country’s top police chief said on Wednesday. Federal police chief Dieter Romann blamed a lack of pre-deportation facilities for deportations not being carried out. Speaking to Germany’s Funke media group, he said …
Read More »Germany: Black activist petitions against court decision allowing use of N-Word
Activist launches petition campaign for the classification of “neger” as a racist word in Germany after eastern state court gives AfD member the right to call people of African descent by the derogatory word. AfD is a xenophobic, extreme right-wing party. The state constitutional court of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) ruled on Thursday (19 December) that sanctioning the leader of the …
Read More »TANG mobilises diaspora for African development
The African Network in Germany (TANG) celebrated the concluding forum of its municipal development policy (kommunale Entwicklungspolitik) activities on Saturday, attracting participants, ranging from German government officials and communal politicians to representatives of African diaspora organisations. Declaring the event open, Dr Sylvie Nantcha, chairman of TANG, gave a brief introduction of the organization, a network of more than 600 African …
Read More »Germany-based company builds for diaspora Nigerians at home
Millions of Nigerians live and work in the diaspora and they send billions of euros back home annually. In 2018, remittances of Nigerians living abroad amounted to about €20 billion, according to figures released by the Central Bank of Nigeria in March. Most of the funds are sent to friends and relatives for various purposes, with real estate, food, education …
Read More »German court rules against landlord who refused to rent to an African
Major victory over housing discrimination in Germany as court fines a landlord for refusing to let his apartment to an African. It’s symbolic that the verdict was delivered on 10 December, the International Human Rights Day. A court has ruled that it’s illegal for a landlord or landlady to refuse to rent a flat to a would-be tenant on account …
Read More »Embassy explains role in deportation of Nigerians from Germany
The Embassy of Nigerian in Germany has denied issuing travel documents indiscriminately for the deportation of failed Nigerian asylum-seekers from the country. Alhaji Mohammed Bello Musa Anka, Minister for Consular & Immigration, explained that before an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) is issued the recipient must have been interviewed by officials of the embassy to ascertain that they’re indeed Nigerians and …
Read More »Migrants strongly underrepresented in public service in Germany – study
Every fifth person of working age has a migration background in Germany. But they only make up six per cent of the employees in the civil service. This was revealed by a recent study. Experts call for intercultural opening of public administration. Citizens with foreign origin are severely under-represented in the civil service (öffentlichen Dienst). This is the conclusion of …
Read More »Germany: Thousands of refugees return after deportation, report says
Thousands of asylum-seekers in Germany have returned multiple times after deportation, according to a report in the German media. Those with entry bans often serve a few months in jail or are not arrested at all.
Read More »Germany: Changes in laws and regulations from December 2019
A few new laws and regulations come into force in Germany in December 2019. Some of the important changes affect Hartz IV recipients, fireworks, railway time-table and highway tolls for travellers to Austria. ………… More money for Hartz IV recipients Starting from next year, the standard rates for Unemployment Benefit II – better known as Hartz IV – will be …
Read More »Black People demand Equal Rights in Germany at historic congress
The historic People of African Descent (PAD) Week Germany ended on Saturday in Berlin with workshops and panel discussions on the situation of Black people in the country. Organised by Each One Teach One (EOTO) e.V., a community-based education and empowerment project, PAD Week Germany, held on 28-30 November and attended by more than 250 participants, also marked the third …
Read More »Congress pushes for more recognition of Black people in Germany
About 250 people came together for the event to press for more recognition of the challenges faced by Black people in Germany and for concrete actions to be taken by decision makers to address these challenges.
Read More »German, Nigerian officials discuss repatriation of Nigerians without papers from Germany
Last year, Nigeria was one of the main countries of origin of asylum-seekers in Germany. Against this background, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung invited German and Nigerian officials to a technical roundtable discussion in Berlin on Thursday. Among others, the experts discussed how to make rejected Nigerian asylum-seekers leave Germany voluntarily and explore possible solutions to irregular migration from their country. Femi Awoniyi, …
Read More »Journalists’ association slams ARD, ZDF over minorities in Germany
The national association of German journalists with a migration background has criticised the two major public broadcasting services in Germany for promoting prejudice against people of foreign origin in the country.
Read More »Naturalization: German states to introduce online application process
How long it takes from the time you apply to the presentation of the certificate of naturalisation varies from case to case, but, on average, it takes several months. In some cases, it could even take years. A new online procedure should make naturalization more citizen-friendly, easier and faster. Two states, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, are currently jointly developing an …
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