Germany has announced that it will admit the majority of Afghan refugees currently stranded in Pakistan who hold legally binding admission promises. However, hundreds of others without such guarantees remain in limbo, as Germany simultaneously resumes deportations to Afghanistan.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says authorities in Berlin will honor most legally binding admission commitments made after the Taliban takeover in 2021, even as the government pursues a tougher overall migration policy and resumes deportations to Afghanistan.
When the current government took office in May this year, around 2,000 Afghan nationals were waiting in Pakistan for permission to enter Germany. They had received commitments under various admission programs introduced by previous governments to protect former local staff of German institutions, as well as journalists, judges, human rights defenders and women activists at risk under Taliban rule.
This week, Dobrindt told the German TV channels RTL/ntv and magazine Stern that the "overwhelming majority" of those stranded had legally binding admission commitments. Germany would therefore fulfill these obligations, he said, adding that many have already arrived or are currently traveling after completing security screenings.
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Hundreds expected to arrive before year's end
According to the Interior Ministry, Germany hopes to fly between 535 and 565 Afghans with standing admission approvals to the country by the end of December. A government-chartered flight earlier this week brought 160 people from Pakistan to Germany, while 609 Afghans with admission commitments have arrived since September.
Authorities say security checks are largely complete and that remaining cases are being processed as quickly as possible, though some may extend into the new year.
Currently, 76 people from the so-called local staff procedure and 465 others from the federal humanitarian admission program (introduced under the previous government) are still waiting in Pakistan for visas.
The situation has become increasingly urgent since Pakistan imposed an end-of-year deadline for Germany to conclude its admission programs, warning that those left behind risk deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. More than 200 Afghans have already been deported in recent months, including individuals with unresolved German cases.
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Around 600 Afghans excluded from admission
Despite these efforts, not all Afghans stranded in Pakistan will be admitted. The German government estimates that around 600 to 640 individuals do not have legally binding admission commitments and therefore will not be allowed to enter the country.
Last week, the Interior Ministry said there was "no longer any political interest" in admitting this group, instead offering financial support for voluntary returns to Afghanistan.
Dobrindt has sharply criticized the previous center left SPD-led government for issuing commitments without ensuring their legal enforceability, saying it had created a problem it was unwilling to resolve. The current government, which still includes the SPD, agreed in its coalition contract to wind down voluntary federal admission programs wherever possible, citing court rulings that limit the legal binding nature of some earlier promises.
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Protests and pressure from civil society
The fate of those excluded from admission has sparked protests and strong criticism in Germany. More than 200 organizations and prominent figures have written an open letter accusing the government of "shameful maneuvering" and warning that people who relied on German assurances now face deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Human rights groups, including Pro Asyl, Terre des Hommes and International Rescue Committee Germany held demonstrations in Berlin yesterday, demanding the immediate evacuation of Afghans with admission commitments and faster processing for other vulnerable individuals still stuck in Pakistan.
Pakistan, which hosted Afghan refugees for more than four decades following conflicts dating back to the Soviet invasion in 1979, began mass deportations in 2023, citing security concerns and militant attacks. Afghans in Pakistan are increasingly being labeled as criminals or terrorists by Pakistani authorities, a narrative that rights groups strongly reject.
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Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan
At the same time as it moves to admit most Afghans with binding commitments, Germany has resumed deportations to Afghanistan. This week, a convicted criminal was deported on a regular commercial flight, the first such case since a group deportation carried out over the summer.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dobrindt have underlined a stricter migration course, saying deportations will be expanded step by step, beginning with convicted criminals and individuals deemed security threats.
"Anyone who commits crimes in Germany forfeits their right to remain," Dobrindt told the German tabloid paper, Bild. Merz assured parliament that Germany would comply with its legal obligations "but also look very closely," at individual situations, underlining that deportations to Afghanistan were again taking place in coordination with Germany’s federal states.
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Amnesty warns of worsening humanitarian crisis
Amnesty International has sharply criticized deportations to Afghanistan and called for an immediate halt, arguing that forced returns violate international law because returnees face a real risk of serious human rights violations. According to the United Nations, around 2.5 million people have returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of the year, increasing the population by around six percent at a time when the country is grappling with severe economic, humanitarian and climate crises, worsened by deep cuts in international aid.
Amnesty warns that women and girls face extreme restrictions under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam and that many returnees are stigmatized and unable to find work. The organization has also criticized reports suggesting that Germany, Austria and the European Union are in talks with Taliban authorities to facilitate deportations.
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With AFP and KNA