"Resettling": A possibility for asylum seekers to enter Germany legally
Germany is increasingly accepting refugees who have been recognized as legitimate under the UN's "resettlement" program. This will not, of course, eliminate the right to apply for asylum for other refugees.
The number of refugees entering Germany under the UN's "Refugee Resettlement" program has increased in the past five years. While 300 such refugees entered Germany annually between 2012 and 2014, the number increased in 2016 and 2017, reaching a total of 1,600.
After the European Union called on its members in 2017 to accept at least 50,000 refugees eligible for "resettlement," the German government promised to resettle a total of 10,200 people in the country in 2018 and 2019.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, German Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter stated that Berlin intends to reduce the pressure on neighboring war-torn countries that are struggling with the problems of war refugees, as well as combat human trafficking gangs, in addition to helping refugees who are in urgent need of protection.
Alter stressed that this measure will not eliminate the right to seek political asylum for other refugees, a right guaranteed in the German constitution.
The conditions for admission to the "resettlement" program are:
This program is intended for refugees who have been accepted as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in their country of residence and who are in urgent need of protection.
The UNHCR is required to primarily include people in this program who have little chance of returning to their country and who have no prospects of starting a normal life in the country where they are temporarily residing.
In this regard, the elderly, the sick, children, and victims of torture and violence are given priority.
Asylum seekers cannot apply for admission to the program individually, but the UNHCR itself makes the decision. The final decision is left to the receiving country.
The responsibility for accepting these people in Germany lies with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), which makes decisions after face-to-face interviews with the refugees and examining their situation.
Asylum seekers who are resettled in Germany initially receive a residence permit and work permit for three years and are also entitled to social services.
"Aids are insufficient"
Although Germany's efforts to help such refugees have been praised by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, overall the amount of assistance provided to those accepted into the "resettlement" program is considered very low.
Norbert Therosin, a fellow at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Egypt, points out that since 2018, all US assistance for temporary refugee resettlement has been cut off, which has created a greater need in this area.
"The reality does not match what we expect," he emphasizes in an interview with Deutsche Welle. "The UNHCR has recognized 250,000 people as refugees in Egypt, but only 5,000 of them have been resettled."
Source: DW
