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In Germany, Afghan asylum seekers live in limbo

In Germany, Afghan asylum seekers live in limbo

author avatar
27 Oct 2022 - 15:21
In Germany, Afghan asylum seekers live in limbo
author avatar
27 Oct 2022 - 15:21

KABUL (Pajhwok): Wais Azizi, 29, was among the Afghans who fled during the refugee crisis in 2015. He arrived in Germany alone and sought asylum.

But seven years later, his asylum application has been rejected three times. The grocery mart employee now lives in limbo with a Tolerated Stay Permit, a document that temporarily suspends deportation, allowing asylum seekers to remain.

After filing an application, asylum seekers are interviewed, with translators, about their reasons for fleeing their home country and dangers they would face if they returned.

In the meantime, the government provides them with accommodation and some financial aid.

If their applications are rejected, but they cannot be deported for humanitarian or technical reasons, asylum seekers, such as Azizi, are given the permit.

Wais Azizi Asylum Seeker

PHOTO: Lim Li Ting

Before the Taliban takeover in 2021, the success rate for Afghan asylum seekers was low and young men were often rejected, according to Pro Asylum, a pro-immigration advocacy organisation.

Azizi was able to work in a grocery store after obtaining a work permit, but his life remains on hold.

Language barriers

Azizi wants to bring his parents to Germany to build a life, but he needs his asylum application to be approved. His applications have been hindered by issues, such as mistranslation by the government- provided Iranian translators, during the process, he said.

His mother worked for Save The Children, an international charity, in Afghanistan, but has since quit for her safety.

“The government should be helping us because her job puts her at greater risk of being targeted by the Taliban,” Azizi argued. “But the translator told an official that she is working for a kindergarten, which is completely wrong.”

Wais Azizi Asylum Seeker

PHOTO: Lim Li Ting

Dr Peter van Gielle Ruppe, 38, deputy manager of the Berlin-based Zohre Esmaeli Foundation, which helps refugees integrate, said while the government provides interpreters for Afghan asylum seekers, most are Iranian.

He said the government should hire more Afghan translators to help these asylum seekers avoid such problems.

“This is important because ‘tolerated’ Afghans are living their lives on pause. They are not entitled to build any kind of life in Germany,” he added.

Mental health issues

The stress of seeking asylum leads to many “tolerated” Afghans being diagnosed with mental health conditions.

“For years, they have been living under the threat that at any moment, even in the night, anybody can pick them up and send them back to Kabul,” remarked Dr van Gielle Ruppe.

Deporting refugees without notice is common because if they do not know when the authorities are coming, they cannot hide, he explained.

When Ahmad Ahmadi, 23, applied for asylum in 2017, he was told to return to Afghanistan or Hungary, where he had previously applied unsuccessfully for asylum.

“But I entered Hungary illegally and was detained there for a month. If I went back, I would be locked up for another six months,” he said.

Ahmad Ahmadi Asylum Seeker

PHOTO: BRANDON CHIA

Ahmadi decided to stay in Germany and try to appeal his case while living under the “tolerated” status. He eventually obtained a plumbing apprenticeship, which allows him to remain in the country while he trains.

But he is still on edge. “I became dependent on sleeping pills and I still find it very hard to fall asleep,” said Ahmadi, whose two younger brothers found refuge in Austria.

Although he misses his brothers, Ahmadi said, he does not want them in Germany because they have a better life in Austria.

“I’m lonely, stressed and anxious every day,” Ahmadi added. “I don’t like living in Germany, but I have no choice.”

A hopeful future

The German government is working on passing a law that grants a one-year residence permit to employed migrants who have been under the tolerated status for at least five years.

Those awarded the permit will receive benefits that “tolerated” refugees are not given, such as integration classes and permission to travel.

Besides Germany opening up to immigrants, the migration cause is also helped by other refugees, who obtained a university education in Germany and have become activists, Dr van Gielle Ruppe said.

Some Afghan asylum seekers, such as Azizi, who have been under the tolerated status for years, are similarly hopeful.

“I am confident of getting a legal status because I have been here for seven years and worked here for six,” he said.

“Once I have a legal permit, I will try to bring my mother to Germany,” Azizi said. “She is far from me, so I am always thinking about her.”

Note: The student was taking part in GO-FAR, a hands-on reporting programme run by Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore.

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