Germany: The number of people seeking protection continues to rise

Wiesbaden - The number of people seeking protection in Germany has risen again. At the end of 2020, around 1.86 million such people were registered in the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR), the Federal Statistical Office announced on Wednesday. Foreigners who, according to the AZR, are in Germany for reasons of international law, humanitarian or political reasons, are considered as protection seekers.

Compared to the previous year, the number grew by around 18,000 (one percent). This is the lowest increase since 2011, when the number climbed by 0.5 percent, emphasized the authority. The Federal Office assumes that this is related to the travel restrictions during the corona pandemic.

Around 216,000 people had an open protection status - their asylum application had not yet been decided by the end of the year. This number fell by 19 percent compared to the previous year. The peak in 2016 was 360,000. Around 1.4 million people seeking protection had a humanitarian residence permit, i.e. a recognized protection status. This was around 38,000 more than in 2019. Most of them are Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis.

Almost 250,000 asylum seekers turned down
For 80 percent, the stay is limited in time. The most common protection title (45 percent) was that according to the Geneva Convention. They were followed by those entitled to subsidiary protection (17 percent). The proportion of those entitled to asylum, on the other hand, played almost no role at 13,000 people (less than one percent).

The number of asylum seekers whose asylum applications were rejected or whose protection status had expired also increased by 14 percent in 2020 to 243,000 people. The majority of them (86 percent) are tolerated, which means that the deportation procedure is temporarily suspended with them, they are obliged to leave the country but are still allowed to stay in Germany.

Source: Junge Freiheit