Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has announced a temporary halt to the visa application process for resettlement of Afghan nationals because of alleged “attempts to abuse the system”.
According to German news agency dpa, the decision was announced late Wednesday and was effective immediately. Visa application procedures were to be suspended at German embassies in Islamabad, Pakistan and in Tehran, Iran.
Diplomatic sources told dpa, that following “isolated indications of possible attempts at abuse” in recent weeks, the German Foreign Office and the Interior Ministry investigated the procedures at the Islamabad Embassy. They agreed to introduce an additional security questionnaire within a few days, at which time visa procedures for Afghans would resume.
No details were available about the reported efforts to abuse the system, the EU-funded InfoMigrants.net reported.
The German government says that since the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021, German missions abroad have issued more than 28,600 visas for Germany to Afghan nationals. Among them are around 4,100 Afghans who had worked for the German armed forces and aid organizations.
According to InfoMigrants.net, the German office of national statistics announced Thursday that 286,000 Afghan nationals arrived and were registered in the country last year.
