Germany approves new legislation to tighten asylum rules
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E-mail Xinhua, February 3, 2016
The German cabinet on Wednesday approved a second asylum package to manage the wave of migration.
Key elements of the Asylum Package II, which is based on a compromise deal struck by leaders of Germany's ruling coalition on Thursday after weeks of contention, include accelerated asylum procedures, new reception centers and suspended family reunification.
The package aims to create special reception centers where certain categories of asylum seekers would be housed while awaiting a decision that is expected to take a maximum of three weeks.
This rule applies to those from safe countries of origin, people who submit an application again as well as asylum seekers who do not cooperate during the asylum procedures by, for example, deceiving about their identity or refusing the taking of fingerprints.
Family reunification would be suspended for two years for people with "subsidiary protection," according to the legislation.
"Subsidiary protection" means a refugee has no claim to asylum, but will not be sent back to his homeland because of life-threatening conditions there. People with the limited status usually get a residence permit only for one year initially, which can be extended later.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble's proposal to have refugees contribute to their language and integration courses was adopted into the package, which would witness refugees opt into a 10-euro (11.06 U.S. dollar) deduction from their monthly assistance to support their classes.
Besides, the cabinet also decided to declare Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as safe countries of origin, effectively providing German immigration authorities the ability to reject asylum applications from those countries' citizens if there is insufficient evidence of persecution or targeted harm.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come under increased criticism from allied and opposition lawmakers for her open-door policy towards refugees following an unprecedented influx of more than 1 million asylum seekers in 2015.
As response to the new arrivals from the Middle East and Africa, Merkel and cabinet members approved Asylum Package I in October last year.
Asylum Package II will go to the Bundestag, lower house of German parliament, for debate after the cabinet's approval on Wednesday.
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