In Germany, the number of Syrian illegal immigrants exceeded the number of Ukrainian ones

According to a report by the German federal government, illegal entries into the country from Syria amounted to 20.6%. Almost every fifth person who wanted to enter Germany without a valid permit was a citizen of Ukraine. This was reported by the newspaper RND on February 8.

It is noted that citizens of Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Turkey have recently tried to enter the country illegally.

The publication reminded that Ukrainians do not need to apply for asylum to get protection in Germany or another country of the European Union (EU). At the same time, a change of residence for other reasons without a visa for long-term stay is impossible.

"Ukrainian citizens who have lived abroad for many years are not at risk of hostilities, so there is no need for their protection," follows from the response of the German government.

According to the publication, the number of illegal entries decreased from 127,549 in 2023 to 83,572 in 2024. The number of citizens without an entry permit who want to apply for asylum to the German Federal Police has also decreased: from 44.7% to 23%.

Earlier. January 16, the head of the faction of the party "Alternative for Germany" (AdG) in Bavaria, Katrin Ebner-Steiner proposed to expel all Ukrainian refugees from Germany. She pointed out that Ukraine is a big country and there are enough places where migrants can return.

On December 4 last year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Ukrainian refugees to more actively seek work in Germany, otherwise they should return home. The Chancellor also announced plans to create a Ukrainian administration in the country to coordinate refugee issues.

Before that, on September 20, the publication Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ) reported that the number of refugees in Germany reached a record since the 1950s: 3.5 million people came to the country.

In late June 2024, Scholz called for a fairer distribution of Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

European countries began to accommodate Ukrainian refugees on their territories since the beginning of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which Russia announced on February 24, 2022.