THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Last year, Germany issued more visas for people from outside the EU than in 2018. Above all, more people were given a visa for the purposes of employment.
According to Germany’s foreign ministry, the country issued around 2.29 million visas in 2019 – slightly more than in the previous year (2.17 million). The main countries of origin of the recipients were China (with around 435,000 visas), Russia (around 341,000) and Turkey (around 251,000).
About 269,000 applications were rejected. This corresponds to a rejection rate of around 10 percent (some applications were withdrawn by the applicants themselves).
Out of the visa recipients, 1.96 million people came for short stays (“Schengen Visa”). The number of long-term visas (“national visas”) was 325,000, around 24,000 more than in 2018; 119,000 of these were for employment, 22,000 more than in 2018. In 2019, almost as many visas (108,000) for family reunification to Germany were issued as in the previous year.
For short-term stays in Germany (stays not exceeding 90 days within any 180-day period) a Schengen visa is needed for entry into Germany.
Citizens of non-EU countries generally require a visa to enter, stay, and work in Germany. However, nationals of certain non-EU countries do not require a visa for entry into or short-term stays in Germany. The foreign ministry provides detailed information on entry requirements into Germany for different countries here.
Sola Jolaoso
