Germany resumes humanitarian visas for Russians and Belarusians after long pause - DW
Photo: Accelerated admission procedure for Russian citizens will no longer be used (Getty Images)
German authorities will resume issuing humanitarian visas to foreigners, including Russians and Belarusians, but there is one condition, reports Deutsche Welle.
According to DW, Germany’s Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry confirmed the removal of the restrictions.
Both ministries emphasized a provision in the Residence Act, under which the Interior Ministry can admit foreigners to Germany to serve the country’s political interests. The law applies to all foreigners and does not specifically single out Belarusians or Russians.
The ministries explained that procedures for admitting individuals who face particular danger due to their work defending freedom of speech, democracy, and human rights, or whose admission serves other political interests, will be restored.
The Foreign Ministry noted that these procedures are considered an important foreign policy tool to support such individuals.
At the same time, the ministries clarified that a separate accelerated admission procedure for citizens of Belarus, Russia, and Iran, previously coordinated under past governments, will no longer be used.
Additional confirmation of visa thaw
European Parliament Deputy Sergey Lagodinsky also confirmed that the moratorium on humanitarian visas had been lifted. He stated that government representatives had publicly confirmed the decision and expressed gratitude to the German Foreign Ministry for its support.
The human rights initiative SaveHumVisa22, which advocates for resuming the issuance of German humanitarian visas for anti-war Russians and Belarusians, provided similar confirmation. The organization reported that the moratorium on humanitarian admissions had been lifted, citing German diplomat Michael Novak.
Why was visa issuance paused?
German Ministry of Interior data shows that since May 2022, 2,490 Russians applied for humanitarian visas in Germany, and since March 2021, 410 Belarusians did.
At the end of July, the Ministry of Interior confirmed that the new ruling coalition’s decision to reduce special programs for foreign admissions also affected applications for humanitarian reasons.
While the government debated which programs to cut, the admission of new foreigners for humanitarian reasons was paused.
The Ministry stressed that the new rules will not affect those already in Germany on humanitarian visas. These individuals will continue to receive residence permits "under the general rules of the Residence Act."
Tighter restrictions in Europe for Russians
European countries have introduced new measures for Russians in response to the war in Ukraine and, in particular, Russia's hybrid tactics aimed at influencing other states. These steps are intended to prevent such interference.
In Lithuania, new restrictions for Russian citizens came into effect on May 3. Since then, the country has been revoking residence permits for Russian nationals who travel to Russia or Belarus more than once within three months without a valid reason.
