One of the rights prescribed by the Germany immigration law is to benefit from asylum in this country, provided that the applicant experiences specific types of life-threatening risks in his or her country. Persons seeking Germany asylum can apply for this status when arriving at the German borders, but one can also apply for asylum prior to arriving in this country.
Foreigners moving to Germany with the purpose of obtaining the asylum status should be aware that not all applications will be successful, as the German authorities, just like in the case of other European authorities, will start the asylum procedure and will verify whether a person meets the necessary conditions.
Germany asylum procedure is done as per the regulations of the German Asylum Act; we recommend you to receive legal advice and legal representation from our immigration lawyers in Germany if you are facing various risks in your home country and want to obtain asylum here. This category of migrants also qualifies for a residence permit in Germany under special conditions.
Table of Contents
What is the procedure for German asylum seekers?
Persons applying for asylum in Germany will generally have to complete an in-person application upon their arrival at the German borders. Here, they will complete the respective asylum application, which will be processed by the Office for Foreigners and Refugees, which is the only institution in charge of handling asylum applications.
Provided that the asylum seeker has firstly addressed a police office or to another authority in charge of the control of the German borders, the application will be sent to the Office for Foreigners and Refugees. From a legal point of view, a person gains the status of asylum seeker only after the Office for Foreigners and Refugees has registered the asylum application form.
The Germany asylum process will start after the registration of the application and the foreigners will receive the right to accommodation, which is done following a standard system, the Initial Distribution of Asylum Seekers. Following the Germany migration legislation applicable to asylum seekers, the foreigners will receive an Arrival Certificate, and, after this, they will be transported to the accommodation centers available for this purpose.
It must be noted that persons moving to Germany as asylum seekers benefit from a set of rights and, once they will be accommodated in the facilities created for such persons, they will also be issued with a residence permit for asylum seekers. Our immigration lawyer in Germany can offer more information on how to apply for a residence permit. We can also advise on German citizenship for those interested in this subject.
During this process, the person will also go through what is known as the Dublin examination (Dublin III Regulation), a legal procedure which is enforced for Germany asylum seekers. The Dublin examination refers to the process which establishes which European country should handle the asylum steps for an applicant. In this sense, foreigners should know that Germany asylum will not be provided to those who have already been identified in other European countries.
Also, the German authorities will not be able to start this process for an asylum seeker who has applied for the same status in other European countries prior to applying for it in Germany. If this happens, then the German authorities will send the foreigner to the country where the application was first lodged.
We can help other categories of migrants apply for a residence permit. Any relocation process, from straightforward to more complicated, can be handled by our immigration lawyers in Germany. We can assist you with citizenship applications as well as completing the legal procedures imposed by the local authorities in order to apply for German residency permits.
We can also assist in citizenship matters. Naturalization is the easiest way, yet the longest to obtain German citizenship. It requires you to live here for a minimum period of 8 years. However, please mind that there are also other conditions to respect, including not having legal issues during this timeframe. You can have your eligibility status checked by our lawyers.
How many applications for protection status were received by Germany?
Germany received numerous applications for the issuance of the protection status. Most of the applications for Germany asylum were requested by citizens from Syria, Iraq and Iran, countries which have been affected by war in the last decade. In 2018, more than 180,000 applications were made and the rejection rate was rather high (more than 75,000 rejections), the following being recorded:
• in 2018, Germany received 185,853 applications, out of which 75,395 were rejected;
• the refugee status was granted to 41,386 foreign citizens;
• the highest number of applications (when referring to the nationality of the applicants) were received from Syrian persons, which made 46,146 applications;
• in the 4th quarter of 2019, the country received 31,560 applications, according to Eurostat;
• Syria accounted for the highest number of applications in the 4th quarter of 2019, of 8,700 applications.
As we mentioned above, the Germany asylum will be granted if the person passes the Dublin examination. In this case, a hearing will take place, in which the German authorities will ask about the reasons which have determined the person to leave his or her country. During the hearing, the person is entitled to a set of rights, including the right to bring an attorney who can represent him or her. If you need legal representation, you can address our immigration lawyer in Germany. We can also offer representation in German citizenship matters.
Our team also offers assistance in a variety of other matters, for example, services for those who wish to apply for a German investment visa.
