MIGRATION

The European Union (EU) wants to create a common European return system for so-called “illegal” migrants. To this end, the EU Commission presented a strategy paper in Brussels recently. “So far, we are not making good progress with the returns,” said EU Return Coordinator Mari Juritsch, who has been in office since May 2022. The number of repatriations had halved …

The Opportunity Residence Act (“Chancenaufenthaltsgesetz”) comes into force on 1 January 2023. Tolerated persons in Germany who had been living in Germany for five years or more on the cut-off date of 1 October 2022 are to receive a residence permit “on probation”. Tolerated persons are people who are obliged to leave the country but are allowed to stay temporarily …

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube A migrant’s personal story of return, resolution, and resilience Tübingen – It’s a warm summer day in 2021. Musa Coker sits in the office of his return counsellor. He has visited the small office in Southwest Germany multiple times this year, seeking information, advice …

By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube If you’re thinking of returning to your country of origin but have questions about what life is like in the country or what support you can receive once you’ve gone back, virtual counselling may provide you with the help you need. Virtual Counselling is …

A football tournament, staged by a group supporting Africans displaced by the war in Ukraine who are currently in Germany, kicks off on Saturday, 3 December. The Indoor Soccer tournament is one of the activities currently being implemented by Horizon Resource network under the auspices of the Help for Africans from Ukraine in Germany (HAUG) initiative to support Africans from …

More than 50,000 people have died on global migration routes since 2014, , according to a new report published by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on 23 November. Despite the increasing loss of life, little action has been taken by governments in countries of origin, transit, and destination to address the ongoing global crisis of missing migrants, the …

Germany wants to tackle the shortage of skilled workers by making it easier for qualified foreigners to work in the country. Federal Labour Minister Heil has now presented the key points of a proposed immigration law Germany’s Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil, a member of the SPD, has presented the key points of an immigration law proposal put forward by …

A group supporting Africans who had fled the war in Ukraine and are currently seeking refuge in Germany has launched a series of online information sessions. The webinar series, implemented by the non-profit organisation Horizon Resource Network under the auspices of ‘Help for Africans from Ukraine in Germany’ (HAUG), is to provide an orientation guide to the affected Africans, who …

Labour and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil will maintain higher benefit payments to refugees from Ukraine in Germany compared to asylum-seekers from other parts of the world. This is to remain the case even if their numbers increase significantly during the winter, he said. “People are fleeing from a terrible war that Putin has instigated,” Heil said in an interview …

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel was named winner of the prestigious Nansen Award for offering a haven to those fleeing violence at the height of the Syrian conflict, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday. Merkel, who stepped down last year after 16 years as head of government, welcomed the desperate Syrians at the height of the conflict in …

The Catholic mission organisation Missio has accused the German embassies in Nigeria and Kenya of discrimination against young visa applicants. Many of them invited for church youth meetings in Germany in October had not received visas, the organisation charged in Aachen. “Because they are young, they are generally assumed to be unwilling to return [after the end of their engagement …

Nearly 50,000 migrants were assisted to voluntarily return to their countries of origin with more than 113,000 reintegration activities supported globally in 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) 2021 Return and Reintegration Key Highlights report Last year saw an increase of global mobility. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of returns is still short of …

The number of vocational qualifications acquired abroad and recognised in Germany continued to rise in 2021, according to the latest official statistics. Most of the positive decisions were for medical professions and degrees – More foreign professional qualifications were recognised in Germany last year. This was particularly the case in the medical professions, as the Federal Statistical Office reported in …

Among those who have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February are around 300,000 third-country nationals – persons who are neither from Ukraine nor the EU, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Many of these are seeking refuge in Germany and now face uncertainty as a transitional regulation of their residency ends on 31 August …

“The living situation in Nigeria is catastrophic, inflation is driving food prices to unaffordable levels, hunger is rampant. The security situation is worse than ever. Boko Haram terror, violence, attacks and kidnappings create a climate of constant fear”

While rising costs of living have been globally observed, with inflation rates soaring to new highs in major economies, less-considered is the impact these costs have on migrants around the world who are often charged with financially supporting loved ones in their home countries. WorldRemit, a leading digital remittances company, conducted a multi-country study to determine the effects of the …

Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), to allow Nigerians living in the diaspora to return to Nigeria with their expired passports. Aregbesola gave the directive on Wednesday in Lagos while responding to a complaint by a Nigerian-American citizen, Jamiu Kasumu, at the Alausa Passport Office in Ikeja, Lagos, during his unscheduled visit to …

Ghanaian-born Swiss-based Analytical Psychologist and Psychotherapist Esther Abena Keller calls attention to the increasing psychological and mental health risks of Africans in the Diaspora, who are challenged in specific ways, socially, economically and politically. Dr Keller identifies the specific reasons why diaspora Africans are especially susceptible to mental health challenges and what could be done to address these challenges ——– …

The federal cabinet has approved the draft law of the so-called ‘opportunity for right to remain’ (Chancen-Bleiberecht) for people who have been living in Germany for many years with a ‘tolerated stay permit’ called Duldung in German. The bill, which was okayed on Wednesday, will be submitted to the federal parliament, which still has to discuss it and can make …

At the last minute, the European Court of Human Rights stopped a controversial deportation flight from Britain to Rwanda for the time being. Despite the defeat, the British government reaffirmed its intention to stick to the plan. Despite the failure of the first deportation flight to Rwanda, the British government wants to stick to the controversial asylum agreement with the …