Germany to toughen asylum rules as migrant influx surges
Germany on Tuesday agreed to tighten rules for asylum seekers, cutting financial help for migrants seeking refuge and
speeding up the decision process on whether to take them in.
Berlin will also seek deals with the migrants' origin countries to take back those whose asylum applications are rejected. In return, Germany will offer possibilities for workers from these countries to apply to enter Europe's biggest country legally for employment.
In the marathon talks overnight between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and regional leaders from Germany's 16 states, the chancellor also agreed to examine if it could be possible for the asylum application examination process to take place outside the EU.
A surge in arrivals in recent months, mainly from Syria and Afghanistan, has reignited a fierce immigration debate in Germany, with local authorities saying they are overwhelmed by the number of asylum seekers.
On the back of migration concerns, the far-right AfD has seen its poll ratings soar to around 22 percent, well ahead of Scholz's Social Democrats at 16 percent.
"In view of incontestably huge challenges" posed by the growing number of refugees, Scholz said at a press conference following the talks that it was paramount that "everyone works closely together" on the issue.
Currently, asylum seekers first arriving in Germany are offered a bed in a refugee shelter and are given €182 euros to purchase daily necessities.
After some time, they are sent to various apartments. Pending a decision on their asylum application, they qualify for more financial help reaching €410 a month. That sum rises again after 18 months to €502 for a single individual.
Following reports that Germany's financial help to asylum seekers was more generous than other countries, the leaders agreed to begin providing the highest sum of assistance only after 36 months.
A special payment card that can be used by migrants to purchase daily necessities will also be put in place, to prevent the newcomers sending cash home.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the cuts in assistance could lead to "savings reaching a billion euros", and "reduce the pull factor of the German welfare state".
The process of examining asylum applications will also be sped up for a final decision including potential court appeals within six months.
Scholz also added that Germany would keep in place controls recently reintroduced at the Polish, Czech and Swiss borders "over a long time" to curb people smugglers.
READ ALSO: Germany strengthens border checks amid rise in migrant arrivals
Funding of refugee costs to be changed
The federal and state governments have also agreed on a change to the system for financing refugee costs.
From next year, the federal government will pay an annual lump sum of €7,500 for each first-time asylum seeker instead of the current total annual sum of around €3.7 billion.
READ ALSO: Influx of asylum seekers to Germany 'unsustainable'
Lower Saxony's state premiere Stephn Weil calculated that the federal government had wanted to give €1.2 billion for the coming year, while the federal states had wanted €5 billion.
"The fact that we have managed to come together pretty much exactly in the middle under these conditions is really worth an exclamation mark at this early hour of the morning."
For the municipalities, there will even be "a significant additional reimbursement amount" in 2024 because the €3.7 billion for this year includes a special payment for Ukraine refugees, which has to be deducted.
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Berlin will also seek deals with the migrants' origin countries to take back those whose asylum applications are rejected. In return, Germany will offer possibilities for workers from these countries to apply to enter Europe's biggest country legally for employment.
In the marathon talks overnight between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and regional leaders from Germany's 16 states, the chancellor also agreed to examine if it could be possible for the asylum application examination process to take place outside the EU.
A surge in arrivals in recent months, mainly from Syria and Afghanistan, has reignited a fierce immigration debate in Germany, with local authorities saying they are overwhelmed by the number of asylum seekers.
On the back of migration concerns, the far-right AfD has seen its poll ratings soar to around 22 percent, well ahead of Scholz's Social Democrats at 16 percent.
"In view of incontestably huge challenges" posed by the growing number of refugees, Scholz said at a press conference following the talks that it was paramount that "everyone works closely together" on the issue.
Currently, asylum seekers first arriving in Germany are offered a bed in a refugee shelter and are given €182 euros to purchase daily necessities.
After some time, they are sent to various apartments. Pending a decision on their asylum application, they qualify for more financial help reaching €410 a month. That sum rises again after 18 months to €502 for a single individual.
Following reports that Germany's financial help to asylum seekers was more generous than other countries, the leaders agreed to begin providing the highest sum of assistance only after 36 months.
A special payment card that can be used by migrants to purchase daily necessities will also be put in place, to prevent the newcomers sending cash home.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the cuts in assistance could lead to "savings reaching a billion euros", and "reduce the pull factor of the German welfare state".
The process of examining asylum applications will also be sped up for a final decision including potential court appeals within six months.
Scholz also added that Germany would keep in place controls recently reintroduced at the Polish, Czech and Swiss borders "over a long time" to curb people smugglers.
READ ALSO: Germany strengthens border checks amid rise in migrant arrivals
Funding of refugee costs to be changed
The federal and state governments have also agreed on a change to the system for financing refugee costs.
From next year, the federal government will pay an annual lump sum of €7,500 for each first-time asylum seeker instead of the current total annual sum of around €3.7 billion.
READ ALSO: Influx of asylum seekers to Germany 'unsustainable'
Lower Saxony's state premiere Stephn Weil calculated that the federal government had wanted to give €1.2 billion for the coming year, while the federal states had wanted €5 billion.
"The fact that we have managed to come together pretty much exactly in the middle under these conditions is really worth an exclamation mark at this early hour of the morning."
For the municipalities, there will even be "a significant additional reimbursement amount" in 2024 because the €3.7 billion for this year includes a special payment for Ukraine refugees, which has to be deducted.
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