Germany Denies Visas To More Than 30 Afghan Families After Case Reviews

(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Germany has refused visas to more than 30 Afghan families awaiting relocation from Pakistan, despite a Federal Constitutional Court ruling that the government cannot revoke previous admission assurances without considering each applicant's individual circumstances, German media reported.

The cases were reviewed following the court's July 22 ruling in a complaint brought by an Afghan mother and her two minor sons. The court found that the government's blanket cancellation of admission assurances under the humanitarian“Human Rights List” programme violated the constitutional prohibition against arbitrary state action. It said officials must take individual circumstances into account before withdrawing such assurances.

The German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau reported that the renewed reviews had not resulted in visas for any of the more than 30 families whose cases were reconsidered. Among those still awaiting decisions are former judges, former intelligence personnel and women's rights activists who could face persecution by the Taliban if returned to Afghanistan.

Around 500 Afghans who had previously received admission assurances from Germany remain in Pakistan, uncertain about their future and concerned about their safety. Many had sought admission because their past professional or human rights activities could put them at risk under Taliban rule.

The court's ruling followed the German government's December 2025 decision to cancel admission assurances for approximately 640 Afghans who had not yet travelled to Germany. The government said it intended to end voluntary admission programmes as far as possible. The court did not order Germany to issue visas automatically, but ruled that a blanket cancellation without individual consideration was unlawful.

In September, several German legal associations and an organisation supporting Afghan refugees wrote to the country's interior and foreign ministers, warning that the review process must genuinely assess each applicant's circumstances. The organisations said the group awaiting admission included 543 Afghans, among them 171 women and 236 children, with some applicants having already completed German security checks.

The situation is particularly serious for Afghan women. In 2024, the European Union's Court of Justice ruled that the Taliban's restrictions on women could amount to persecution. It said Afghan women's sex and nationality could be sufficient grounds, depending on the circumstances, for recognising a risk of persecution when assessing asylum claims.

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