Germany's asylum authorities granted protection to nearly three quarters of asylum seekers in 2022, more than ever before. The record indicates how bad the situation in countries like Afghanistan has become, says the Left party.
Almost three quarters of asylum seekers who requested protection received it in 2022, according to a response by the German Bundestag to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the Left party.
The figures confirmed that in 2022, Germany’s so-called adjusted protection rate -- a calculation that doesn’t include formalities that have no bearing on the actual rate of protection -- was 72.3%.
Members said this is the highest the rate has been in history, which indicates just how bad the situation in countries like Afghanistan and Syria has become, Left MP Clara Bünger told epd.
"It's not useful to engage in a debate about limiting the migration of refugees [to Germany] which is unlawful, unrealistic and inhumane," she said, referencing staunch political spats over the past year in response to increasing migration rates.
Ukrainian refugees are not included in these statistics because they do not have to apply for asylum in order to live in Germany.
Adjusted protection rate excludes refusals given for formal reasons
Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) only offers an overall protection rate. This calculation includes refusals given for formal reasons that have no bearing on the actual number of people who receive asylum. For example: BAMF includes cases that are rejected because another EU state is legally responsible for the asylum case, and hence fall under the Dublin III regulation. These sets of rules determine that the state of first arrival must process an asylum claim.
These sorts of formalities prohibit the overall protection rate figure from accurately indicating the actual rate of accepted asylum cases. In 2022, BAMF’s figure was 56.2% -- still higher than the rate in previous years. In 2021, the rate was 39.9% and in 2020, 43.1%.
The difference between BAMF’s overall protection rate and the adjusted protection rate can be illustrated by rates of protection for Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers. BAMF’s rate of protection for these groups is 83.5% and 90.3%, respectively. But the adjusted protection rate for these groups is almost 100%.
With epd