THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The number of asylum-seekers challenging rejected protection claims in Germany has risen sharply in recent years, putting growing pressure on the country’s administrative courts, according to media reports.
Figures reported by the Deutsche Richterzeitung (German Judges’ Journal) show that the number of lawsuits filed by rejected asylum-seekers has doubled within two years. In 2023, Germany’s administrative courts received 71,885 appeals against decisions issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The number climbed to 100,494 cases in 2024 and surged further to 143,221 in 2025, reflecting a rapid increase in legal challenges to asylum decisions.
The trend comes amid efforts by authorities to accelerate the processing of asylum claims. As BAMF works to reduce backlogs and issue decisions more quickly, the number of rejected applications has also increased — leading more applicants to challenge the decisions in court.
Legal experts warn that the rising caseload is placing considerable strain on Germany’s judiciary. Sven Rebehn, the director of the German Judges’ Association, said the situation should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers.
“The record number of incoming cases and ever-growing backlogs must be a final alarm for politicians to change course,” Rebehn is quoted by the media as saying. He noted that after the chronically understaffed public prosecutor’s offices, administrative courts are currently the second biggest pressure point in the German justice system.
Germany’s federal and state governments had agreed in 2023 that asylum-related court cases should ideally be resolved within six months. In practice, however, that target remains far from reality. On average, proceedings still take nearly twice as long, while cases in some regions — including Berlin and Hesse — can take more than 16 months to conclude, analysts say.
Refugee organisations and rights advocates argue that the growing number of appeals also reflects problems with the quality of some asylum decisions. Advocacy groups have long criticised what they describe as standardised reasoning and flawed decisions that frequently fail judicial scrutiny.
Government statistics suggest that these concerns are not unfounded. In 2024, about 18 percent of appeals against BAMF decisions were successful, meaning courts overturned the rejection or ordered a reassessment. When courts examine the merits of a case in detail, the success rate can rise to around a quarter of appeals.
Germany remains one of Europe’s main destinations for people seeking protection. With asylum decisions increasing and legal challenges rising in parallel, experts warn that without additional resources and reforms, the country’s administrative courts could face even heavier pressure in the coming years.
Felix Dappah
