Migrants paid

Germany: Millions for voluntary departure

Asylum seekers in Germany (archive photo)

(Bild: APA/EPA/MARC MUELLER)

Thousands of people in Germany with rejected asylum applications or little chance of a successful asylum procedure have received financial support from the public sector this year to leave the country voluntarily. By the end of October, 8,263 people had left Germany and received a financial incentive to do so. 

Through the REAG/GARP program (Reintegration and Emigration Programme for Asylum-Seekers in Germany/Government Assisted Repatriation Programme), destitute migrants can receive money, for example for flight and bus tickets or medical support. The approved funding for the program this year reportedly amounts to more than 8.2 million euros.

It is unclear who will cover which costs
In a government response to a parliamentary question, it was not currently possible to state how much of the costs were borne by the federal and state governments. According to the information, this is due to the fact that under certain circumstances, the EU covers the majority of the costs for a departure. The federal and state governments would then only have to bear five percent of the costs each. Deportations are generally much more expensive than voluntary departures.

Many applications, longer waiting times
According to official information, there may currently be longer waiting times for processing applications due to the high volume of applications. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, there is no legal entitlement to funding.

The number of financially supported departures is projected to be slightly higher than in the previous year. In 2023, there were around 8460 approved applications by mid-November, according to the answer to a question from members of the Left Party in the Bundestag at the time.