Anas Mustafa spends one day a week volunteering at his local foodbank in the city of Nordhorn in Germany. He wants to help those who can't afford to buy groceries at the supermarket - because Germany helped him when he fled the war in his home country Syria.
A total of 392 migrants have been relocated to other European countries by request of the Italian government since September. The most recent transfer took place just before the Christmas period on December 20, when 132 migrants were relocated to Germany.
Two German parties are at loggerheads over how to deal with overcrowded migrant camps in Greece. The Greens are urging the government to come to the aid of 4,000 children, while the CDU said it is "not a solution."
In the 16 months since Germany resumed family reunifications for refugees with subsidiary protection, authorities approved close to 20,000 requests. The backlog, meanwhile, remains high.
Mohamad Eyad Albandakyi and his family fled the war in Syria in 2016. In Germany, although he already had a full time job, Eyad decided to get involved in the local fire brigade - as a volunteer. It is his way of saying "Thank you, Germany."
For migrants in Germany considering going back to their home country, returning voluntarily is a viable option. On top of existing return programs, the German government supports a series of reintegration projects for returnees in various countries of origin around the world. We take a look at the different voluntary return and reintegration support schemes.
The president of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Hans-Eckhard Sommer, has spoken out about the possible consequences of so many migrants and refugees working in the low-wage employment sector. Sommer said it could damage the German economy in the long-term.
A new study by the US based Pew Research Center has found that as many as 4.8 million migrants were living undocumented across the EU in 2017. More than half of those are estimated to be living in the UK and Germany. However, even though news of undocumented migrants tends to dominate headlines and election campaigns, the anaylsis found that even if estimates are correct, those migrants without papers account for less than 1% of Europe's total population.
It can be tough for foreigners to settle in Germany, deal with the bureaucracy, learn the language, find a home and get a job. MADE meets some immigrants who have overcome the obstacles.
Those foreigners in Germany who are obliged to leave has increased this year. The two main reasons are the stagnating number of deportations and a faster processing time for asylum applications.
Starting afresh in a new country is hard enough for refugees and migrants. For children, who by law have to attend school, it can be even harder; settling into a new school system as soon as they can after learning enough of the host country’s language. That’s why in Dresden, for the last ten years, the association "Ausländerrat Dresden e.V." has been offering an educational mentorship program, matching children with educational ‘godparents’ who can help guide them through their studies in Germany.
The number of people applying for asylum in Germany has slowed down, with figures from this year expected to be lower than in 2018, according to a report. The vast majority of applications, however, are rejected.