The German federal government has decided to terminate two special programs designed to accept allegedly endangered Afghans into Europe. Approximately 640 people already registered under the human rights list and the bridging program introduced by the previous coalition government are now no longer expected to enter Germany.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed on Wednesday in Berlin that those affected would be informed in writing in the coming days.
Currently, about 1,300 Afghans are waiting in Pakistan under different admission promises: around 90 under the local personnel procedure and roughly 580 under the federal admission program. The 640 individuals from the human rights list and bridging program are excluded from further processing. According to a Bundestag document from November, a total of around 2,300 Afghans had received promises under all four programs.
The move follows legal challenges regarding the status of admission promises. An Afghan judge who had received a commitment in 2022 filed a constitutional complaint after his urgent application was rejected by the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg. The court concluded that promises under the older programs did not constitute an administrative act and thus did not create legally enforceable claims. Only commitments from the federal admission program created in 2022 are legally binding.
In November, Germany received the fifth flight of Afghans from Pakistan since the current coalition government took office. Several flights have already landed in Hannover, despite the official suspension of the resettlement program.
Since September, a total of 1,900 Afghans have received offers of resettlement under various government schemes. Previous flights included 31 arrivals on November 5th, 14 on October 30th, and 28 on September 24th, indicating an increase in their frequency of arrival.
