Stuttgart's immigration office blasted for 'unbearable' conditions
The Association of Entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg has sharply criticised the chaotic situation outside the Foreigners' Office in Stuttgart, where people have had to wait more than 12 hours for an appointment.
"The unbearable conditions in Stuttgart show that we need different and separate procedures and processes for controlled skilled labour migration, as are currently being discussed with the creation of a central foreigner's office," said Oliver Barta, Managing Director of The Association of Entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg, referring to the plans to open a centralised state immigration office in Baden-Württemberg.
The Stuttgart Foreigners' Office (Ausländerbehörde) has come under fire following reports that people there sometimes camp with chairs and blankets to have a chance of getting an appointment, sometimes waiting up to 14 hours.
News site focus.de went to the Immigration Office to find more than 50 people waiting in front of the building two hours before opening time.
One Russian man, queuing at 6 am, told them "I've been in line since yesterday evening at 6.50 pm."
"If you want to get an appointment here, you should come before two or three in the morning," he said. "Otherwise, you have no chance."
READ ALSO: 'Traumatising': Foreign residents share stories from German immigration offices
As a result of the chaotic conditions, the Baden-Württemberg Social Democratic SPD parliamentary group is calling for the creation of a central state immigration office.
But State Secretary for Migration Siegfried Lorek (CDU) believes that the SPD's demand misses the core of the problem - that staff at foreigners' offices are already stretched to their limits.
Stuttgart's Chief Administrative Officer, Clemens Maier (Free Voters), says that the overload of the Foreigners' Office is not a specific problem to Stuttgart and that many cities nationwide are in a state of emergency. Workloads are increasing everywhere, while there is a shortage of people to competently handle the tasks.
"We are very aware of the burdens on our customers, as well as our employees," he said. According to the city, relief is expected to come from additional staff, as 17 vacant positions are expected to be filled by the end of the year.
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"The unbearable conditions in Stuttgart show that we need different and separate procedures and processes for controlled skilled labour migration, as are currently being discussed with the creation of a central foreigner's office," said Oliver Barta, Managing Director of The Association of Entrepreneurs in Baden-Württemberg, referring to the plans to open a centralised state immigration office in Baden-Württemberg.
The Stuttgart Foreigners' Office (Ausländerbehörde) has come under fire following reports that people there sometimes camp with chairs and blankets to have a chance of getting an appointment, sometimes waiting up to 14 hours.
News site focus.de went to the Immigration Office to find more than 50 people waiting in front of the building two hours before opening time.
One Russian man, queuing at 6 am, told them "I've been in line since yesterday evening at 6.50 pm."
"If you want to get an appointment here, you should come before two or three in the morning," he said. "Otherwise, you have no chance."
READ ALSO: 'Traumatising': Foreign residents share stories from German immigration offices
As a result of the chaotic conditions, the Baden-Württemberg Social Democratic SPD parliamentary group is calling for the creation of a central state immigration office.
But State Secretary for Migration Siegfried Lorek (CDU) believes that the SPD's demand misses the core of the problem - that staff at foreigners' offices are already stretched to their limits.
Stuttgart's Chief Administrative Officer, Clemens Maier (Free Voters), says that the overload of the Foreigners' Office is not a specific problem to Stuttgart and that many cities nationwide are in a state of emergency. Workloads are increasing everywhere, while there is a shortage of people to competently handle the tasks.
"We are very aware of the burdens on our customers, as well as our employees," he said. According to the city, relief is expected to come from additional staff, as 17 vacant positions are expected to be filled by the end of the year.
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