legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

Statistics
Procedure
Applications for family reunification must be lodged by the family members at a German
diplomatic mission abroad. The application is forwarded to the Aliens Office of the refugee’s place
of residence, which is responsible for making a decision. If family reunification is granted by the
Aliens Office, the embassy will normally issue a visa to the family members. However, even
where the Aliens Office grants permission, the embassy still has the right to deny a visa.
If a visa application is refused, the applicant may ask for an administrative review of the decision.
If it is negative again, he/she may appeal to the administrative court in Cologne, which is the only
court responsible for family reunification cases. The procedure is very lengthy (one to two years)
and the interpretation of the law is restrictive.
Status of reunited family members
Family members of a refugee recognised under Section 16a of the Constitution may apply for
family asylum upon arrival. In such cases, they are issued with a permanent residence permit and
a Convention travel document. Those who do not or cannot apply for family asylum receive a
limited residence permit and retain their passport. They are allowed to work and are entitled to
receive limited social benefits, child benefit and supplementary child allowance, but no language
tuition. School attendance is compulsory for their children, but they cannot receive any education
allowance. The same applies to all family members of a refugee recognised under Section 51(1)
of the Aliens Act, as family asylum is not available to them.
Number of asylum seekers
Number of asylum seekers in Germany
1991 256,112
1992 438,191
1993 322,599
1994 127,210
1995 127,951
1996 116,367
1997 104,353
1998 98,644
1999 95,113
Main national groups
Main national groups seeking asylum in Germany
1999 1998
Serbia/Montenegro 31,451 34,979
Turkey 9,665 11,754
Iraq 8,662 7,435
Afghanistan 4,458 3,768
Iran 3,407 2,955
Azerbaijan 2,628 not available
Vietnam 2,425 2,991
Nationality unclear 2,396 2,010
Armenia 2,386 not available
Syria 2,156 1,753
Sri Lanka not available. 1,982
113
Germany