Germany records fewer asylum applications

Germany recorded a steep fall in the number of asylum applications last year, with first-time filings dropping to 113,236, according to the country's Federal Interior Minister.

The figure is less than half of the prior year's 229,751 and almost one-third of the 329,120 asylum requests lodged in 2023.

The decline coincides with Germany's conservative-led government tightening migration rules and intensifying border controls, reported the DPA news agency.

Measures include turning people back at the border, denying entry to family members, ending fast-track citizenship pathways, and increasing migrant returns.

"The clear signal from Germany, that migration policy in Europe has changed, has reached the rest of the world," said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. "Those who have no claim to protection should not come; those who become offenders must leave."

The ministry said deportations also increased by roughly 20 percent in 2025.

In a speech to welcome the new year, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled that doors are not fully closed to asylum seekers.

He said his government was working to open new channels for legal migration while shutting down pathways for irregular and disorderly migration.

"For us, humanity and order are two sides of the same coin," he said.

Migration experts argue the slowdown in asylum claims reflects drivers beyond Berlin's policy clampdown, reported DW News.

After the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, the flow of Syrian asylum seekers to Germany has been reduced. Nonprofit media service Mediendienst Integration estimated in November 2025 that about 948,000 Syrians resided in Germany.

Some have repatriated over the last year through a government-supported program that funds travel and provides initial cash assistance.

Beyond Germany, migration currents across Europe are changing as well. In Italy, a tougher stance has cut arrivals, with knock-on effects for Germany.

Amid European rhetoric against undocumented migration, Spain is showing the opposite trend, expanding legal pathways for undocumented migrants who have job prospects.

Government reform in Spain, which came into effect in May 2025, is targeting 300,000 legalizations per year for three years, reported Euronews.

Officials in Madrid are framing the policy as essential to the country's economic prosperity amid demographic decline. The plan simplifies residency and work permits, extending rights and recognizing migrants' roles in sectors including technology, hospitality, and agriculture.

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