An Afghan family has secured a court order for a visa to Germany, after the Federal Government withdrew its legal challenge. The Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling followed the Foreign Office’s decision not to appeal an interim judgment in the family’s favor.
The case dates back to 2023, when an Afghan law professor and asylum seeker in Pakistan was accepted, along with her family, under the Afghan Reception Program. After waiting a year and a half in Pakistan with 13 relatives, she filed a lawsuit before the Administrative Court, demanding that the Federal Foreign Office issue their visas. The court ruled that the Federal Government was “legally bound by the final and irrevocable admission obligations.” The Foreign Office initially appealed the decision to the Supreme Administrative Court.
According to a spokesperson for the Higher Administrative Court in Berlin, the Foreign Ministry withdrew its appeal against the interim ruling, making the court’s decision final and binding.
The Higher Administrative Court has reviewed several cases related to the Afghan Reception Program in recent months and is expected to rule on another case involving the Federal Reception Program at the end of this month. Over the past month, the court has issued 20 similar interim rulings in favor of Afghan asylum seekers, ordering the Foreign Ministry to grant them entry visas to Germany, the spokesperson added.
The government did not explain its decision to withdraw the appeal, and the Foreign Ministry has not clarified whether the court order will be applied to all approved Afghan asylum seekers or only to those covered by specific court rulings.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, around 2,300 Afghan asylum seekers in Pakistan are awaiting visas, most of whom have yet to receive an appointment for a security interview. Their situation has worsened in recent days after the Pakistani government expanded deportations to Afghanistan. Pakistani immigration authorities have since arrested hundreds of Afghans, including asylum seekers who had already submitted applications to the German embassy.
The Afghan admissions program was launched in 2022, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The German Federal Government pledged to admit the most vulnerable groups and their families. However, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt later suspended the program.
