About 11,500 Afghans in Germany are required to leave the country
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) announced that about 11,500 Afghan citizens residing in Germany are required to leave the country. By the end of May 2025, the number of these individuals reached 11,423, including 9,602 who hold what is known as "Duldung," a temporary residence permit despite the obligation to leave the country. The remaining 1,821 do not have this permit, without clarification on whether any of them are criminals or dangerous individuals.
"Duldung" status is granted in cases where deportation is not possible due to reasons such as illness, lack of documents, or danger in the country of origin, but it does not cancel the obligation to leave. A statement by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt from CSU sparked a wave of criticism after he suggested direct negotiations with the Taliban government to facilitate the return of Afghans to their country. Dobrindt stated that it is unacceptable to continue only indirect communication with the Taliban. However, SPD and Die Grünen completely rejected this idea, emphasizing their opposition to any cooperation with a regime that is not internationally recognized and is accused of committing serious human rights violations.
Afghanistan has been experiencing very difficult humanitarian conditions since the return of the Taliban to power in the summer of 2021 after the withdrawal of Western forces. The population lives under harsh conditions of poverty and unemployment, and women are particularly subjected to systematic discrimination. In a related context, Bamf revealed a clear decline in the percentage of Afghan males receiving protection in Germany. Between January and April 2025, only 45 out of every 100 Afghan men applying for asylum received protection, compared to 71 out of every 100 in the same period in 2024.
The percentage of those granted "Abschiebungsverbot", which is a ban on deportation for humanitarian reasons, particularly decreased from 45 percent in 2024 to only 28 percent in 2025.
The office justified this decline by updating its assessment of the situation in Afghanistan in March 2025. It explained that the conditions in the country remain difficult, but hunger and poverty alone are not always enough to obtain protection status. It added that healthy young men without specific problems are having their applications rejected more frequently.