Germany’s New program to support 1000 at-risk Afghans every month

Germany has launched a new program to support At-risk afghans. In this program, they are helping to bring 1000 people who are at risk of persecution in Afghanistan to Germany each month.

According to ABC news and the ministry of foreign affairs, this program is part of an agreement between the three governing parties (the federal ministry of interior and homeland, the Federal foreign office, and the Federal Ministry of economic cooperation and development, with the participation of civil society organizations). It provides a formal structure for how German authorities were already handling applications from Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover last year.

Germany has supported almost 26000 local workers and AFghans who are particularly at risk since the Afghanistan government’s fall.

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The Federal interior minister Nancy Faeser:

“We act and fulfill our humanitarian responsibilities; in an EU comparison, we enabled by far the most admission of former local workers and other particularly vulnerable Afghans in Germany.

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We will continue to assume this responsibility. We have now created a structured framework for the future. Based on the defined criteria, we can offer protection to particularly endangered and vulnerable people from Afghanistan. We are guided by the number of people we have taken in so far. Because we see the great burden on the municipalities due to the large number of refugees that we have already taken in this year. We keep a close eye on the ability to absorb and integrate. 

In the implementation, we are breaking new ground and forms of cooperation in close cooperation with civil society organizations that have not existed before. To this end, we are strengthening the structures of the civil society organization, particularly with a coordination office, to support them in participating in the program.”

The federal government has announced that in the past months, more than 37,000 Afghans and their entitled family members have been accepted to Germany that includes , in particular, more than 24,000 former Afghan local workers and their family members, and as well as 12000 Afghans who are particularly at risk identified to Federal Government by the help of civil society.

The government of Germany has been working with civil society organizations to start a federal admission program to enable vulnerable Afghans and their families to be admitted to Germany. This program is being implemented now.

Details:

Number of acceptance: 1000 per month (limited)

Target: at Risk Afghans in Afghanistan

End of program: September 30, 2025.

Benefits:

  • protection and being rescued from danger and risks you are facing in Afghanistan
  • assistance to exit the country and get Germany visa
  • assistance on the journey to Germany
  • receiving support for accommodation and other state receiving center services.
  • residence permit for three years
  • Work permit
  • Integration services and courses
  • Social benefits include food accommodation, other needs, and education for children …

Framework for Germany’s unique program for vulnerable Afghans:

Who can apply?

Target group:

Afghan national in Afghanistan who:

  • have particularly exposed themselves through their commitment to women’s and human rights or through their work in the following areas and, therefore, individually endangered:
    • Justice
    • politics
    • media
    • education
    • culture
    • sport
    • science

      or
  • who have experienced specific violence or persecution because of their gender, their sexual orientation or gender identity, or their religion or specific violence or persecution resulting from special circumstances of the individual case and are therefore specifically and individually endangered, in particular as victims of serious individual violations of women’s rights, homophobic or transphobic human rights violations, or as exposed representatives of religious groups/communities.

The german official said that this program is aimed at afghans currently residing in Afghanistan who are:

  • At risk because of their work for women’s and human rights.
  • are Also the following groups:
    • journalists,
    • scientists,
    • political activists,
    • judges,
    • educators, and
    • those persecuted for their gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the new humanitarian resettlement program is willing to give those persecuted by the Taliban “a bit of home and the chance of a free, self-determined and secure life.”

She acknowledged that it would be a “mammoth task” to implement the program, including safely getting applicants from Afghanistan to Germany.

“But we won’t let up,” she said.

How to apply?

Applicants will need to be nominated for the program by civil society groups approved by the German government.

ONLY people residing in Afghanistan are eligible to apply for this program. authorized authorities by the federal government Civil society organizations will identify and propose the eligible person by entering required data and information about a person in a digital application provided by the Federal ministry of interior.

At the start of the program, applications will be made for cases already available to reporting organizations. currently, there are no individual applications for individuals. the government will consider an application on the later stage of the program.

Proposed applicants will get support to exit Afghanistan to a neighboring country to get a visa and come to Germany.

Selection criteria:

  • personal vulnerability, as defined, for example, by the UNHCR catalog of criteria ; ( e.g. single women with children, women in a precarious living situation, LGBTI +, people with special medical treatment needs);
  • Connection to Germany, e.g., German language skills, family ties promoting integration, previous stays in Germany, former work for German authorities/projects, support from German employers/German organizations;
  • special personal exposure, e.g., due to type and length of activity in Afghanistan, prominent position, public statements;
  • special political interest of Germany in admission.

The information about authorized civil society organizations will be shortly available here

Read more about this program on the federal government’s official website for this program or read the official Joint announcement here.

Note:
It is reported that apparently the following three organizations may be involved in registering eligible people, although none of these organizations have been clearly verified by German authorities yet.

  • Kabul Luftbrücke
  • Reporters Without Borders
  • Mission Lifeline

For Kabul Lufbrucke, you can register online using this link.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) register eligible journalists who are residing in Afghanistan and vulnerable for their journalism work. Apply HERE to RSF
Website of Mission Lifeline HERE

Check other humanitarian programs on scholarships.af blog.

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