MIGRATION

The Federal Parliament has passed two laws to regulate immigration from non-EU countries into Germany. One of the laws provides more opportunities for people to come to Germany to work and receive training while another amends the regulations affecting asylum-seekers. In a major step to modernise and liberalise its immigration system, the German parliament (Bundestag) passed into law a bill …

The European Union on Thursday announced plans to tie the issuing of visas to the willingness of third countries to take back their nationals whose asylum applications have been rejected by member states of the bloc.

Seven years after the introduction of the EU Blue Card, Germany has awarded 104,000 such residence permits to highly-skilled non-EU immigrants. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said in Nuremberg on Tuesday that about 27,000 visas were issued in 2018, a 25.4% jump over 2017, and more than any previous year. 11,738 of the Cards issued in 2018 were …

One in three foreigners seeking to join a spouse in Germany is unable to do so because they fail to pass a basic language test. The failure rate was especially high for applicants from Iraq. Nearly a third of foreigners seeking to join their spouses in Germany fail to pass a German language test in their homeland, preventing them from …

Malta allowed the 49 migrants stranded on two humanitarian rescue ships since last month to disembark at its port on Wednesday. The Sea-Watch 3 ship, which is run by a German humanitarian group, picked up 32 people from a boat off the coast of Libya on December 22. Another German-run organisation, Sea-Eye, rescued 17 others a couple of days later …

Various new or tweaked Swiss laws, governing a range of issues from foreigners to online shopping, entered into force on 1 January. One of them affects the Foreigner’s law. Foreigners living in Switzerland now have to meet certain criteria of good behaviour, for example respect for public security and order and constitutional values, before their residence permits are granted or …

As I write this article, 49 migrants, mostly Africans, are stranded at sea. They had been rescued in the Mediterranean by the humanitarian organisation Sea Watch about two weeks ago but no European country is ready to allow the migrants to disembark at its port. Last year, about 112,000 migrants found their way irregularly through the Mediterranean to Europe while …

The Israeli government has issued a notice for thousands of African migrants to leave the country or face imprisonment. Rights group kick against controversial plan. Israel will force tens of thousands of African migrants to leave over the next three months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday. Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that the Israeli government will …

As Nigeria continues the battle against irregular migration, a German Foundation, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), has advised Nigerian government to focus on economic development to end the menace. Mr Vladimir Kreck, Country Representative of KAS, advised the government on Wednesday in Abuja during a workshop on “Migration- current trends part two’’. Kreck said that poverty and unemployment were identified as …

The European Parliament in Strasbourg has approved a proposal to introduce European humanitarian visas with the objective of reducing the death toll and improving the management of refugee flows. The legislative initiative was approved on Friday by 429 MEPs against 194 and 41 abstentions (absolute majority). A similar proposal had failed in November to reach the absolute majority due to …

World leaders gathered in Marrakech, Morocco, to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration on Monday. A number of countries have refused to sign the non-binding accord, among them the US and 7 EU member states. The world’s first-ever global pact on how to deal with migration was adopted on Monday by 164 countries at a …

The Danish government has agreed on a controversial policy to detain rejected asylum-seekers convicted of breaking certain laws on an isolated, uninhabited island. According to a government statement, the new centre will also house refugees who have a “tolerated stay” status, meaning they do not have a residence permit but cannot be deported for reasons, including threats to their life …

The Italian parliament has passed into law a tough anti-migrant and security bill designed to make it easier to deport migrants and restrict residency permits. The controversial bill, which makes it easier to expel migrants and limits residency permits, was passed in the lower house of parliament with 396 in favour to 99 against on Wednesday (28 November). “I’m happy, …

Germany’s Interior Ministry has proposed new measures to monitor and deport persons whose asylum application has been rejected.  The German Interior Ministry on Sunday (18 November) confirmed plans to facilitate and accelerate deportations of failed asylum-seekers along with those who should have their asylum requests processed in another EU country under the so-called Dublin rules. According to the European Union’s Dublin …

People from Germany’s list of “safe” countries rarely have the right to asylum. Keith Walker and Timothy Jones of Deutsche Welle look at what the list means for asylum-seekers in Germany. Germany’s constitution defines as “safe countries of origin” the ones “in which, on the basis of their laws, enforcement practices and general political conditions, it can be safely concluded …

The UN migration agency has launched a radio series in Nigeria to sensitise vulnerable people seeking to pursue economic opportunities abroad on the perils of irregular migration. The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said no fewer than 37,550 Nigerians arrived on Italian shores in 2016 while many went missing or died. The UN agency warned that migration done outside the …

Benin City in Nigeria’s south is a hub for illegal migration in West Africa. That’s why the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), within the framework of its 77 Percent youth project, held a town hall debate on 18 October. DW’s Maja Braun was there and she sums up the event. Aigbe Omoregie is one of those who made it. …

Germany’s statistics office has published new figures for net migration to the country in 2017 with some surprise findings. The figures show more Germans are returning to the country and staying put. In 2017, net migration to Germany dropped by around one-fifth year-on-year to about 416,000, the Federal Office for Statistics (Destatis) said on Monday. The agency noted that net …

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced that no fewer than 10,000 Nigerians, have voluntarily returned from Libya between April 2017 and October 2018. The South West Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Yakubu Suleiman, made this disclosure while receiving a new batch of 161 returnees, who arrived Lagos on Friday (12 October). Suleiman said the Nigerians were assisted back in …

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has reportedly indicated a drop in irregular migration numbers. He had made a tough stance on irregular migration a hallmark of his Interior Ministry. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer last week said he does not expect Germany to see as many irregular migrants and refugees this year as projected. Earlier reports estimated that up to …