Number of refugees in Germany continues to decline

Background: Decline among Ukrainian protection seekers

The decline is particularly pronounced among refugees from Ukraine. After the sharp rise in Ukrainian protection seekers in 2022 and 2023, immigration had already slowed in the past year. The current figures confirm this trend: According to the federal government, the monthly initial registrations of Ukrainians in the foreigners' registration offices are significantly below the level of the first months of the war.

The Left faction in the Bundestag had submitted the query in order to obtain an overview of the current development in asylum applications, grants of protection and residence permits. The response also shows that the processing of old cases in the responsible authorities is progressing. This is associated with a shift between the individual protection status groups.

From the federal government's perspective, several factors play a role in the falling numbers. These include stricter controls at the EU's external borders, changed travel behavior on the main routes and accelerated asylum procedures. The introduction of new digital registration procedures has also led to a better data situation, according to the response.

The federal government's reasoning

At the same time, the federal government points out that integration and language course offerings continue to be in great demand. The municipal authorities are also preparing for a possible new wave of immigration should conditions in the countries of origin deteriorate again. Bavaria and other federal states had recently called for better management of immigration.

The federal government announced that it would continue to monitor the development closely and regularly submit updated figures to the Bundestag. An adjustment of the existing distribution mechanisms between the federal government, federal states and municipalities will be examined. The financial resources for integration services are also to be examined.

The Left faction interprets the falling numbers as evidence that existing structures basically work, but at the same time calls for more investment in advice, housing and labor market integration. From the ranks of the federal states, meanwhile, calls are being made for reliably long-term financing of accommodation costs.