"If, after examining an asylum application, the Federal Office comes to the decision that there are no grounds for protection, [it] issues an order to leave the country," Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) stated in a written response to Rudaw. It added that rejected applicants may be returned to their country "even without their consent."
"Integration achievements play no role in the asylum procedure," BAMF said. "Individual integration achievements as well as professional activities have no influence on the examination."
The decision on the asylum application, it said, is based solely on whether an applicant faces a specific threat if returned to their country of origin. Decision-makers also consider whether internal relocation is possible within the applicant’s home country before granting asylum.
The office clarified that its role is limited to processing asylum applications and making protection decisions. Deportation enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of Germany’s federal states and their respective immigration authorities.
A growing number of Iraqi Kurds and Arabs who were recently deported had held temporary toleration status, known as Duldung, and had been employed or enrolled in integration programs. BAMF explained that Duldung only suspends deportation temporarily and does not establish a legal right to stay.
"People who are deported have no right to stay in Germany—even if they have a toleration status," BAMF noted. "The obligation to leave remains."
Public criticism has mounted over deportations of long-term residents. One such case is Rawsht Ghafor Abdullah, an Iraqi Kurd with a nursing degree who held Duldung status in Bavaria. In a video posted online, Abdullah said he was deported despite completing integration courses, working in Germany, and having no criminal record. BAMF declined to comment on individual cases but said residency decisions fall under the remit of state-level authorities.
Germany hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. In 2024, there were nearly 251,000 asylum applications, according to a survey by BAMF.
Immigration was a central issue in Germany’s February parliamentary elections. The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union bloc - considered center-right - secured 28.5 percent of the vote, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 20.5 percent, and the Social Democrats
...every time you hear the phrase white people,
white supremacy,
whiteanything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word
(Thomas) Nastyto the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
(SPD) with 16.4 percent.
In January, the parliament passed a controversial migration control bill aimed at tightening enforcement. The legislation includes five measures: preventing illegal immigration, deporting those without legal status, deporting foreign criminals, detaining those under removal orders, and limiting family reunification.
Germany is a popular destination for tens of thousands of Iraqis and residents of the Kurdistan Region who attempt to reach Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
each year, often through smuggling routes.