Afghan refugee family faces migration reality in Germany

DW (English)

This year, until April, saw over 80% of all asylum claims in Germany rejected. DW accompanies one Afghan family on the day of their important appointment with immigration authorities. Is it good news?

Transcript

00:00For nearly four years, Asim couldn't hug his daughter.

00:05He fled to Germany from Afghanistan in 2021, alone.

00:11His family stayed behind.

00:27This is all they brought.

00:30Papers that crossed borders and memories that never left.

00:35Proof that they exist.

00:51The family reunited in Germany a month ago.

00:55Today is their first immigration appointment.

00:59It's a routine process on paper, but what's at stake is anything but ordinary.

01:05Their application must pass plausibility checks, interviews and IT-based verification.

01:11As Afghan refugees, they did not reach Germany from Pakistan, but from Iran.

01:26What is being carefully pulled out are the only two items the family carried across these borders, just to stay connected to the taste of home.

01:43I asked Taliban,

01:48They said,

01:49They said,

01:50They said,

01:51They said,

01:53They have no idea for you,

01:54They have no idea for you.

01:55They have no idea for you.

01:56I was forced to contact them.

01:57They went to the same side.

01:58They came to the same side.

01:59I went to the same side,

02:00They went to Iran.

02:01As the family approached the immigration office for the appointment, the uncertainty lingered.

02:16Even outside Afghanistan, safety is still not a guarantee.

02:21For the past hour, whenever we saw a brief shadow on the door, it's like our hearts slept, to see what really happened.

02:37How was it?

02:39Hello.

02:40Good.

02:41Yeah, gottseidank.

02:43Yeah, we were here at Osnabir Horda in our city, and there was said that my wife has been given up to one year since my children.

02:58And she said that if this is finished, we'll see what's going on.

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