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.
Saed, which is not his real name, is only 25 but in some ways he looks much older. He left Syria in 2015 because he could no longer live under Assad’s regime and wanted to find a place where he could be free and state his own opinions without fear. When he arrived in Dresden he ended up homeless for a few nights, but today he shares a house with Germans and has just begun studying once again at university. In addition he leads tours of the city for school pupils with the organization Querstadtein.
In Dresden’s International Garden, allotment plots are divided between refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and foreigners as well as local Germans. It is all about putting down roots and growing things together towards a brighter future, explains one member of the governing committee who provided InfoMigrants a tour of the garden.
A new report has found that 22 branches of Germany's federal migration office have asylum approval rates vastly below the national average. Critics say a lack of oversight and transparency has exacerbated the problem.
Danial Alfahel is a 28-year-old Syrian refugee who fled Damascus in 2015. After a long journey, he wound up in Germany, although he was originally aiming to get to the Netherlands. Four years later he is making a new life for himself in Dresden, plays music in a band, works and takes people on tours of Dresden to talk about the city he has grown to love and the reasons that brought him here.
SPIKE Dresden is a prize-winning youth and cultura center in constant evolution. It started up in 1995 to meet the needs of one marginalized community, youth who were interested in Hip Hop not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall when a lot was in flux. Since 2015 it has expanded to meet the needs of a new community in need of support: migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.