Lower Saxony calls for a visa requirement: pressure on the asylum system is growing!

Lower Saxony calls for a visa requirement: pressure on the asylum system is growing!

Lower Saxony has decided to introduce a visa requirement for people from Colombia. This could have a noticeable impact on the asylum situation in Germany. Interior Minister Daniela Behrens explained that the step was necessary to reduce the pressure on the asylum system and thus enable quicker help for those who are actually in need of protection. Loud sueddeutsche.de The number of people seeking protection from Colombia has increased significantly in recent years, which is mainly due to the easy entry via Spain. Behrens emphasized that the recognition rate for refugees from Colombia is extremely low: this year it was only 0.43% out of a total of 1,640 asylum applications.

To address this issue, Behrens sent a letter to Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in which she reiterated the call for the reintroduction of the visa requirement. It makes it clear that Germany is dependent on immigration and qualified workers, especially from Colombia, where many well-educated young people are looking for better prospects.

Migration and the need for skilled workers

Around 15,000 Colombians take language tests every year in order to be able to work in Germany. A migration agreement between Germany and Colombia is currently being prepared to make immigration easier. Although thousands of Colombians are applying for asylum, many of them actually have no legitimate reasons for asylum. This situation is exacerbated by the spread of false information on social media about the asylum procedures, such as tagesschau.de reported.

Johann Steven, a 27-year-old Colombian, is learning German at the Goethe-Institut in Bogotá and is planning to move to Munich. He would like to work there as an engineer and hopes for a significantly higher salary. Since the Skilled Immigration Act came into force in March 2020, the number of German students at the Goethe-Institut in Bogotá has tripled. The institute expects exams to increase by another 15 percent this year.

Challenges for asylum seekers

However, the situation of asylum seekers remains difficult. Even though the civil war in Colombia has officially ended, smaller guerrilla groups still exist. Therefore, rapid repatriation could be possible if the migration agreement comes into force. Studies show that many young women value the security and stability in Germany. Particularly worrying are the reports of organized criminal structures that entice people to apply for asylum, even though this often comes without sufficient reasons.

Lower Saxony's decision to require a visa could have far-reaching consequences for migration and skilled worker immigration and illustrates the pressure that the high number of asylum seekers is putting on the German system. Lower Saxony itself actively recruits skilled workers locally and supports projects to improve German language skills and the equivalence of qualifications.

Another example illustrates the challenges: At the end of 2022 there were headlines about the threatened deportation of Colombian nursing staff in a home in Wilstedt, which endangered operations. These developments demonstrate the complexity of migration between Colombia and Germany and the importance of finding a balanced system that meets both economic needs and humanitarian obligations.