MIGRATION

Deportations from Germany on the rise again

The number of deportations from Germany has increased again after an initially significant decline in the Corona pandemic. In the first six months of this year, 5,688 people were deported from Germany, compared to 4,616 in the first half of 2020, according to information of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The ministry provided the information in response to a …

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Gambia rejects deportation flights from Europe

The Gambia has formally announced that it would no longer accept flights bringing its citizens deported from the European Union, the AFP reports. Gambian foreign ministry spokesman Saikou Ceesay told the news agency that large numbers of returning migrants would cause “social upheaval” in the country. “We are trying to consolidate the peace, stability and democracy we have in this …

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Project 40/40: Narrating the Nigerian diaspora history

Experts and international organisations generally summarise migration from Nigeria in three main waves. The first wave being the period 1914–1960s, capturing the era when the country was under colonial rule, followed by the second wave, 1960s – 1980s, encapsulating the first two decades after independence. Then, the third wave, 1980s until today. A new project, by the Society of Young …

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Germany needs 400,000 new immigrants per year — National employment agency chief

The population in Germany is stagnating and the number of workers is decreasing. To avoid a labour shortage in the future, Germany needs about 400,000 immigrants per year, according to Detlef Scheele, head of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Due to demographic developments, the number of potential workers of typical working age is already decreasing by almost 150,000 …

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Over 300 Nigerians languishing illegally in Italian jails, says jailed Commissioner

Osaze Osemwingie-Ero, a former Edo State Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, has cried out over the plight of over 300 Nigerian youths, whom he says, are ‘illegally’ detained in Italian prisons for contrived charges on mafia-related offences. At a meeting with officials of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Wednesday, Mr Osemwingie-Ero, disclosed that he learned …

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Oracle, UNHCR partner to impart IT skills on refugees in Kenya

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Implements Workforce Development Program in Kenya with Oracle NAIROBI, Kenya, August 12, 2021 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Oracle today announced that the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Kenya has finalised a workforce development program for young refugees in Kenya, in collaboration with Oracle University. The UNHCR delivers professional learning courses on Oracle Cloud technologies …

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Why it’s getting harder to win asylum in Britain based on sexual orientation

By Aaron Gates-LincolnWriter at Immigration Advice Service and Immigration News The UK immigration system is a harsh and brutal environment for all migrants. It is designed to be a treacherous journey through a cruel and intricate jungle of tests, detention, interrogations and application processes; all trying to prove authenticity and deservedness. However, it is clearer now than ever that LGBT+ …

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German nun fined for granting church asylum to Nigerian women

A German court has charged a nun €500 for assisting Nigerian women threatened with deportation from Germany. The two women reportedly fled from forced prostitution in Italy. Different groups criticized the court order and called for a decriminalization of church asylum. Benjamin Bathke reports Juliana Seelmann, a 38-year-old nun who lives and works in the Franciscan abbey of Oberzell in …

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Germany: Analysis of mobile phone data of asylum-seekers illegal — Court rules

The analysis of refugees’ mobile phone data to ascertain their identity violates their fundamental rights. This was the decision of the Berlin Administrative Court while ruling in the case of a 44-year-old Afghan woman. The verdict puts a question mark on the controversial practice to which the authorities sometimes resort to establish the true identity of asylum-seekers —- The controversial …

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Germany: Commission recommends measures to mitigate irregular migration

The commission set up by the federal government to look into the causes of flight and irregular migration has presented its report, recommending 15 key measures for the effective mitigation of these causes. —– An Expert Commission on the Causes of Flight appointed by the Federal Government in July 2019 has called for a more comprehensive political approach to combating …

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EU defends Spain after thousands of Moroccans enter Ceuta enclave

The European Union has spoken out in defence of Spain, after thousands of migrants from Morocco entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in north Africa. “Europe expresses its solidarity with Ceuta and Spain,” said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday (18 May), in a tweet. At least 6,000 migrants, including mothers cradling children and whole families, reached …

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What you should know about the EU Blue Card

The Blue Card, Europe’s answer to the US Green Card, is a work permit allowing high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the European Union, excluding Denmark and Ireland, which are not party to the scheme. Kai Dambach/InfoMigrants explains how it works. The EU Blue Card is a residence permit issued to highly qualified persons from …

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Lack of suitable accommodation causes asylum-seekers mental ill-health, says Red Cross

The issue of accommodation provision for individuals seeking asylum within a country has recently been a topic heavily discussed in the field of immigration studies. In contribution to this, a new report by British Red Cross has highlighted how the UK asylum system is deeply flawed, and has caused increasingly negative impacts on the mental health of individuals seeking asylum. …

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Germany: Petition against obligation to report people without papers launched

An alliance of humanitarian and rights organisations are calling for the abrogation of the legal obligation to report people without residency status who seek medical care —– Almost 50 organisations and associations are demanding the abolition of the legal obligation to report people without regular residence status who seek medical care. Going to the doctor without fear is not possible …

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Nigeria: IOM Launches “Blue Bus” campaign against Human Trafficking

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has launched a new project in Abuja, Nigeria, to raise awareness of the scourge of human trafficking among populations at risk in migration prone areas across the country. The 23 March launch marked the tenth anniversary of the Nigeria–Switzerland Migration …

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Maisha wins Award for empowering African women in Germany

Maisha – African Women in Germany e.V. has been honoured with yet another award for its efforts for the empowerment of African women in Germany. Maisha, founded in 1996 by Virginia Wangare Greiner, was recently bestowed with the “Corporate Livewire West Germany Prestige Award 2020/21” for being the best “Self-Help Group of the Year”. The organisation was honoured especially for …

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Germany finalises plan to improve integration in next 10 years

Chancellor Angela Merkel and state and civic leaders have finalised a plan to improve the integration of immigrants into society, the education system and the job market. It outlines a road map for the coming decade. Kathleen Schuster/DW reports Getting a job might have been once been considered enough to be successfully integrated into society as a foreigner. For Germany, …

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Nigeria, Switzerland celebrate 10 years of Migration Partnership

Nigeria and Switzerland have commemorated the 10th anniversary of a partnership on migration between the two countries. To mark the event, a mobile information campaign bus and a brochure on the “10 Years Migration Partnership Between Nigeria And Switzerland” were launched at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, on Tuesday. The Blue Bus, a “one-stop office for Public Enlightenment and …

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Migrant arrivals to EU drop 40% in first months of 2021

The EU’s border protection agency Frontex says the number of irregular border crossings at Europe’s external borders dropped by 40 percent in the first two months of 2021, compared to the same period last year, to 12000. For example, the number of illegal border crossings in February reached 4 650, about half the figure from the same month of last …

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Cameroon repatriates 5,000 Nigerian refugees

Cameroonian officials, led by Minister for Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, have repatriated over 5,000 Nigerian refugees to the north-eastern Borno State. According to a statement on the Facebook page of Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, the handing over took place on Monday in Amchiide, a border community between Nigeria and Cameroon, close to Banki in Bama Local Government Area …

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