Denial of Visas for an Afghan Family
The federal government's resettlement program for particularly endangered Afghans is currently the subject of a dispute, with a court case involving a lecturer and her 13 family members who are waiting in Pakistan for visas.
The family's fear of deportation to Afghanistan, where their lives would be endangered under the rule of the Islamic Taliban, was found to be credible by the court. Around 2400 people in Pakistan are waiting to receive a visa, according to the Foreign Office from mid-June.
In early July 2025, a German court ruled that the government must issue visas to this family, who had been promised entry under a humanitarian admissions program. The court's decision, made by the Administrative Court of Berlin, stated that the government was legally bound by “irrevocable” commitments to this family facing Taliban persecution, overriding the government’s intention to end the program.
However, the German government has appealed this ruling. Subsequently, on July 31, 2025, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (OVG) issued an interim suspension of the original visa issuance order to prevent irreversible actions until a final decision is made, expected by the end of August 2025. The court will review further responses from involved parties before proceeding.
The OVG's decision temporarily halts the issuance of visas for the Afghan family, but the family’s initial legal victory affirmed the government’s obligation. The outcome will depend on the final ruling anticipated later this summer.
It is important to note that the court's decision does not specify which specific resettlement program is affected. The federal government cannot legally free itself from this voluntarily assumed commitment.
Meanwhile, the government is managing accommodation and care for Afghans awaiting processing in Pakistan amid these legal disputes. It is not clear if a union's desire to scrap all resettlement programs in Germany is related to the case at hand. The dispute over the federal government's resettlement program for particularly endangered Afghans continues.
The court's decision is intended to prevent the creation of facts before a final decision is made. The 6th Senate of the court plans to make a final decision by the end of August. The current status of the case is that visas have not yet been issued due to the interim suspension during the appeal process.
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- The ongoing dispute over the federal government's resettlement program for particularly endangered Afghans, as evidenced by the court case involving a lecturer and her family, could potentially impact not only Community policy but also Employment policy, given the implications for migration and refugee status.
- The court's ruling, which temporarily halts the issuance of visas for an Afghan family, has political implications, as it brings attention to the General-news surrounding the resettlement program for particularly endangered Afghans.
