The number of foreigners entering Germany on Schengen visas or visa-free and then applying for asylum increased significantly last year, raising irregular migration and national security concerns.
According to an investigation carried out by Welt Am Sonntag, in 2023, of 351,915 foreigners who filed first-time asylum applications, 37,329 of them had entered the country on a Schengen visa.
This means that almost 11 per cent of first-time asylum applicants entered Germany for other travel and visiting purposes in 2023 and then decided to remain in the country, Schengen.News reports.
Data further shows that in the first quarter of 2024, one in eight people who applied for asylum entered the country on a Schengen visa.
Taking such figures into account, the German authorities have been criticised for continuing to issue Schengen visas for nationals of third countries that have a high rate of asylum.
As Welt Am Sonntag explains, half of the asylum seekers who entered Germany by a Schengen visa are from Syria, Afghanistan, Türkiye, and Iran.
As insiders have revealed, this group of foreigners applying for asylum claim that they are entering Germany for tourism and family visiting purposes. However, once they are within the territory of the Schengen Area, they decide to break the Schengen visa rules and apply for asylum instead with the hope of remaining permanently in the country.
High Number Foreign Nationals Under Visa-Free Regime Also Apply for Asylum
In addition to the above-mentioned, data have shown that a high number of nationals of countries who are permitted visa-free entry to Germany also apply for asylum.
In 2023, 34,952 out of 351,915 first-time applicants were exempted from the visa requirements. This means that visa-exempt foreigners accounted for almost ten per cent of all asylum application filed last year.
The main countries whose nationals applied for asylum after entering Germany under the visa-free regime are Georgia, North Macedonia, Venezuela, Serbia, and Colombia.
Data show that last year, 9,399 Georgians, 5,999 North Macedonians, 3,756 Venezuelans, 3,526 Serbs, and 3,337 applied for asylum after entering the territory of Germany visa-free.
In addition to these two groups of asylum seekers – those entering on a Schengen visa and those entering visa-free – it has been revealed that a considerable number of asylum applications are also filed by relatives of refugees who are already in Germany.
