Germany: Number of People Eligible for Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Increases by 4.3% in 2021
28 December 2022 | Schengen Visa
The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has revealed that 399,000 people have received standard benefits offered to asylum seekers in 2021, with a third of recipients being minors.
According to the authority, the main nationality groups among beneficiaries include Afghanis, Iraqis and Syrians. The number of recipients has increased by 17,000 or 4.3 per cent compared to 2020, which noted the first increase in the number of recipients in this category since 2015, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
In accordance with the Asylum-Seekers’ Benefits Act, there is a provision for this category as follows:
- Basic benefits for housing, heating, food, clothing, personal hygiene, healthcare and household items
- Benefits to afford personal daily requirements
- Benefits for vulnerable people such those that are sick and pregnant women
- Benefits depend on individual cases and special circumstances
Germany has recently approved the amendments to the law on the right of residence and asylum for non-EU citizens who are already living in the country.
The amendments were approved on December 2, including making it easier to obtain residency for those without status and facilitating the opportunity for young people who have been in Germany for at least three years, to remain there.
The Parliament also approved a law which foresees the asylum application procedures being expedited, which indicated a clearer backlog of applications.
The new law will enable those that have been living in Germany for at least five years to secure residence status and obtain the right of residence for 18 months. Throughout this time, the subject can apply for a permanent right to stay in the country and provide the necessary information, including language skills and an understanding of the German lifestyle.
“Around 137,000 of the approximately 248,000 tolerated persons could benefit from the new law,” reads a statement published in the European Website on Integration regarding the issue.
In addition, people from this category that are under 28 years old, will no longer have to wait for four years for the right to continue living in Germany as that period has been shortened to three years.
People younger than 27 years old, will be able to live in the country if they have learned the language and adapted to the German culture.
Asylum seekers will also be able to receive a quicker response in their application, as the new changes aim at determining a decision on their application for a shorter period, with the maximum procession time for an asylum application can be six months but sometimes it can take up to 18 months.