Former Deusch MP advises about residency in Germany

Jamal Karsli, a former German MP, with Syrian origins,  a political activist for more than 30 years and a strong supporter to the Syrian revolution since its start on March 15, 2011.

Eqtsad, Zaman Alwasl business newspaper, has an opportunity to interview him to get information about different ways of getting residency and asylum in Germany especially for Syrians.

In Summary Karsli has identified three methods to get an asylum in Germany, each of them has its own problems and obstacles.

Syrians can enter Germany and get the residency either via the UNHCR in Lebanon which has agreed to gives an entry to 5 thousands Syrians, and the other way is by an invitation from a relative, who has German nationality, and the last is the illegal way, where people manage to get to Europe land illegally and travel from country to another till arriving to Germany.

The former MP said that number of Syrians who arrived to Germany by different means reach to 18 thousand. He confirmed that the German authorities is willing to admit only 5 thousand Syrians via UNHCR in Lebanon, out of more than a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, on condition they are officially registered with the UNHCR and the Lebanese government agrees to let them leave the country. 

“in fact, out of those 5 thousands, only 110 refugees have arrived Germany coming from Beirut airport to Hanover Airport, then they were transferred to an interim residential centre near Göttingen city to be distributed to other German cities later on”, Karsli confirmed.

The MP has explained that arriving to Germany and getting residency application via the UNHCR, is shorter than other ways, because applications would be already accepted as far as security check is concerned, as it would be done before selection in first place. He added that people who entered Germany in this way can work and study during the two years legal residence they will be granted, which could be extended if the situation in Syria remained unchanged. However, if the situation improved, the German government might return these people to Syria, as it had done previously with refugees from Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and other countries.

Karsli added that there is another legal way to entered Germany and live in, which is sending an invitation to first degree relatives “offspring and parents” and second degree “brothers, sisters, grandparents grandsons and granddaughters, minors and their wives”. The MP mentioned that 14 German states out of 16, have agreed to give visas and temporary leave to remain to a limited number of Syrians who were invited by their relatives.

“However, those who want to invite their relatives in Syria need to have German nationality or indefinite leave to remain or limited leave to remain since the beginning of 2013. The inviter would be responsible for all expenses and must have around € 350- 400 monthly surpluses for each person, in other words, those who can invite their relatives are only the affluent people” the former MP said.

Karsli highlighted the health insurance problem for invited relatives which is considered a major obstacle, because German law does not allow joining relatives to the inviter’s insurance. But he assured that some states have overcome this obstacle by forwarding the health insurance costs to municipalities where the inviter lives.

“The invitees should have clean records for criminal and terrorist acts and have lost their homes and live in Syria, Egypt or one of the neighbouring countries of Syria” Karsli detailed.

According to the former MP, applications are made in German embassies or consulates abroad, in the same time the inviter applies for the invitation in foreign office in his city of residence.

In regard to the people who illegally entered Germany, the former MP said: “they can submit asylum application orally or in writing to any government office in Germany, even at police stations, and then those offices refer them to nearest refugees and foreigners’ agency. Those agencies are controlled by the Federal Office for expatriates and refugees and there are about 20 offices of them all over Germany.”

About the procedure later on for asylum seekers, Karsli said: “applicant has to attend personally and formally submit his application, noting that the Federal Office for Refugees is usually located inside the refugee reception centre which has a police and a medical section besides restaurants and sleeping rooms. That place became the temporary residence for refugees after the asylum application. Registration, photographs and fingerprints are taken later in the same centre. After a short stay for few weeks, refugees are distributed to different German cities. Months later, asylum seekers are invited for an interview to detail reasons for their application, and the application is then put for study and decision”

If the application was rejected, Asylum seeker can appeal to the nearest court specialized in law of administrative affairs, Karsli added.

Karsli gave a main reason for rejecting the application which is getting an evidence that asylum seeker had lived in another European country or came to Germany through that country, as he could be deported to that country, because German law stipulates that asylum seekers must submit their asylum application in the first safe country they arrive.

Usually, all applications from Syrian asylum seekers are accepted, and even if they were rejected, which is rarely happens; it is not possible to deport refugees to Syria in these circumstances.

Asylum seekers get leave to remain for two or three years, which is extendable and they have the right to work and study.

By Eyad al-Ja'fari, Translation by Yusra Ahmed