Germany Has Blocked The Issuance Of Humanitarian Visas To Russians
20- 2.10.2025, 13:49
- 6,418
The FRG authorities reverted to a pre-war approach.
Germany has curtailed the issuance of humanitarian visas to Russians and Belarusians despite public statements to the contrary, Deutsche Welle reports, citing human rights activists.
The German authorities have returned to the pre-war approach, when such visas were issued only in exceptional cases and according to opaque criteria that remained unclear even for humanitarian organizations. An accelerated procedure for issuing humanitarian visas was launched in May 2022. People who were at risk because of their anti-war stance, human rights work or criticism of the Russian authorities could apply for them, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) explained at the time.
Once the change of government in May 2025, however, the admission programs were put on pause, including humanitarian visas. In August, the German Foreign Ministry said the restrictions would be lifted, but emphasized: "fast-track procedures" for citizens of Belarus, Russia and Iran, agreed upon under the previous governments, would no longer apply.
"Formally, the admission window will remain in place, but without the fast-track mechanism. In fact, this means the winding down of the program: Russians could only apply under the accelerated procedure. Now we are talking only about cases of very famous people - a couple of cases a year. At the same time, officials pretend that the program is in effect," say the human rights organization inTransit.
The reduction of migration admissions and the revision of existing programs are enshrined in the coalition agreement of the new German government - the CDU/CSU bloc with the SPD. "It feels like the CDU is just ignoring us," notes an employee of an NGO. According to him, consultations continue only with the SPD, while CDU/CSU representatives are "looking for any reason to refuse." "This is an institutional mechanism of sabotage," the DW interlocutor states.
Human rights activists also report that Russians who left the country because of criminal cases were in some cases offered to apply for visas through the German embassy in Moscow. In other responses, the Foreign Ministry points out that Armenia, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan are "safe" countries and refuses. "People are stuck in transit countries where they are not safe. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan extradite to Russia. There was also a case of attempted extradition in Turkey. In Armenia, there are possible searches through the CSTO. These countries are only a transit hub, but not a place of safe stay," emphasize human rights activists.
Other ways for Russians subjected to political persecution are often closed. Many cannot get visas because they do not have passports, and a criminal case prevents them from issuing a new one at the consulate. Only Germany and France issue temporary passports along with a visa. Direct entry to the FRG to request asylum is also impossible: according to the Dublin Agreement, the applicant will be sent to the country of first entry into the EU.
Human rights activists recognize that a return to the previous scale of issuing humanitarian visas is unlikely. "We can only push for an increase in the number of cases - from three or four a year to ten or twenty. Humanitarian arguments no longer work," says the co-chair of one of the organizations. According to lawyers, the German authorities consider humanitarian visas for Russians and Belarusians in conjunction with similar programs for Afghanistan, Syria and Iran. Against the background of large-scale flows of refugees, no one intends to single out the Russian and Belarusian direction separately.
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