Unprecedented rise in appeals against asylum decisions!
Administrative courts in Germany witnessed a significant increase in the number of cases filed against asylum decisions in the first quarter of 2025, with courts recording 46,427 new cases, representing a 67% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when the number of cases was 27,882.
According to the newspaper "Bild" based on data from the higher administrative courts in all German states, Niedersachsen recorded the highest percentage increase, with the number of cases rising from 2,226 in the first quarter of 2024 to 4,887 in the same period of 2025, an increase of nearly 120%.
For its part, the German Association of Administrative Judges expressed skepticism about the possibility of achieving the goal announced by the federal government and the states regarding the acceleration of appeals procedures in asylum cases within the framework of the planned reform of the Common European Asylum System starting from July 2026. The association's vice president, Caroline Bileau, said: "Many states will not be able to complete asylum cases within the planned six-month timeframe."
In the state of Thüringen, the president of the Association of Administrative Judges, Thomas Linehart, warned of a potential collapse in human resources.
He explained that the Weimar Administrative Court alone is currently facing a workload equivalent to a full year in 2025. He added that the continuation of this pressure without a significant increase in the number of staff will lead to processing times being extended to 24 months by 2026.