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

SOCIAL CONDITIONS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
Accommodation
Accommodation on arrival
Once in the country, asylum seekers are referred to a particular reception centre in accordance
with the centralised distribution procedure, where they submit their formal applications for asylum
and undergo a medical check-up. Police records are also checked.
The allocation of applicants amongst the Länder is done in accordance with admission quotas,
which are decided by the Länder. Asylum seekers are registered in a so-called EASY Programme
(First Reception of Asylum Seekers) and then distributed throughout the country in accordance
with these quotas.
It is compulsory for all asylum seekers to stay in reception centres, even for those who have
family members already living in Germany. Furthermore, they are not allowed to leave the
administrative district in which the centre is located.
The reception centres are run by the Länder and have a minimum capacity of 300 persons,
although some are much larger. Meals are provided and asylum seekers are not allowed to cook
for themselves. Some centres will also provide clothing in emergencies.
In principle, asylum seekers stay in reception centres for a maximum of three months and then
move into an asylum centre (see “Further accommodation” below). However, many stay for much
longer before being found a place in an asylum centre. In addition, certain centres operate both
as a reception centre and an asylum centre. In such cases, applicants may remain there after the
initial three months.
In general, there are no special arrangements for unaccompanied minors or single women.
However, several regions have established “clearing and reception centres” for unaccompanied
minors, where they can be accommodated. Many reception centres have units reserved for single
women. Family members are not normally separated, but it is not always possible to provide them
separate accommodation.
Applicants whose claims are rejected on manifestly unfounded grounds and whose deportation
may take place without hindrance have no legal basis for being in the country. Accordingly, they
are no longer allowed to stay in the reception centres and lose their entitlement to community
housing.
Refugee-assisting NGOs have expressed their concern at the poor social conditions facing
asylum seekers in the reception centres, which are likely to have a particularly damaging effect
on those already suffering from traumatic experiences.
Further accommodation
After this initial reception phase, asylum seekers – unless rejected on manifestly unfounded
grounds – are distributed between the local authorities, on the basis of the current population of
the Länder and districts within them. No other criteria are taken into consideration.
Asylum seekers have very little say when it comes to choosing the district or even the Land to
which they are allocated, since the authorities are only required to take the closest family
members (spouses, children and parents) into consideration. It may be extremely difficult for
family members who have come to Germany separately to be reunited in the same district.
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