According to an internal sampling by the Federal Ministry of Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 450 out of 3033 so-called decision-makers hired between August 1, 2015, and March 1, 2017, have not yet taken part in qualification training. Many others also lack sufficient know-how in handling asylum cases, as the German newspaper Nürnberger Nachrichten reported.

Decision-makers are the ones who decide if asylum will be granted or if the application is rejected. They base their decision on the documents filed as well as on the interview that is conducted between the decision-maker, the applicant and an interpreter, if needed. The hearing is the most important part of the asylum proceeding, as the BAMF states on its website.

As Nürnberger Nachrichten states, many employees in question lacked basic knowledge in asylum law as well as hearing techniques. In effect, 15 percent of all decision makers hired during the refugee crisis of 2015/16 were thus considered without proper background and qualification. There are approximately 8,300 employees working at the BAMF.

No training, just learning on the job

The eligibility gap is even greater among those working in the registries and secretariats of the BAMF. Workers there are responsible for filing applicants’ paperwork, checking their files and coordinating the proceedings. 2669 out of 3340 new employees working in this field had received “no training” but were dependent upon learning on the job, the newspaper states.   

A spokesperson of the BAMF responded that training has been adjusted to fit the different employment needs.

The inquiry comes in light of the administrative errors made in the case of Franco A., an undercover German soldier who was granted "subsidiary protection," a status just below asylum, which he allegedly intended to use to carry out terrorist attacks that would have implicated Syrians.