German authorities will begin processing asylum applications for thousands of people who currently hold refugee status in Greece but who have also applied in Germany.
Asylum applications have been temporarily frozen by the German immigration authorities. However, InfoMigrants has revealed that the agency will begin processing pending applications.
According to German news magazine Der Spiegel, German authorities will process more than 40,000 asylum applications from people who already hold refugee status in Greece. After these applications are processed, the number may increase depending on the situation, he reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
InfoMigrants notes that the number of people illegally arriving in Germany from Greece has increased significantly over the last few years. The majority of Greek asylum seekers entering Germany are Afghan citizens.
Those who have applied for asylum in Germany already hold refugee status in Greece, so it is quite unclear what will become of them. Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on whether they plan to return the asylum seekers to Greece or grant them refugee status.
Therefore, the agency has not yet released details regarding the standards and rules that will apply when processing applications.
Migrants still continued to reach Germany illegally, despite severe restrictions imposed last year to stem the spread of the COVID-19 disease. The largest number of illegal immigrants were registered from those who first entered Greece. Nevertheless, arrivals from other countries were also common.
Germany has yet to determine the status of asylum applications by those arriving from Greece, but the country has already decided to facilitate immigration procedures for Ukrainian Jews fleeing conflict zones.
Ukrainian Jews fleeing the war can now apply for “Jewish immigration” using a simplified procedure. A new simplified rule for this particular category was announced by the German Jewish Council.
The normal procedure requires applicants to submit their application to the German embassy in their country of origin. However, due to the current situation, Ukrainian Jews can apply from Germany.
In addition, it is noted that Ukrainian Jews are also exempt from the requirement to present an A1 German language certificate.
However, it is emphasized that Ukrainian Jews fleeing the war must submit an application proving their Jewish origin. Furthermore, it was emphasized that the relaxed procedures apply only to Ukrainian Jews and not to Jews from other countries.
