Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies
Theses
Refugee movements like this had not occurred in Germany since the Second World War . 129 The peak of asylum seekers was reached in 2016 with 745,155 asylum seekers and 722,265 first applicants . 130 Out of those 722,265 first applicants , 266,250 came from Syria . 131 One of the reasons for the high number in 2016 was that most refugees did not hand in their application until 2016 although they may have arrived earlier . Since 2011 770,000 refugees have come to Germany . That is 770,000 out of roughly 5,6 million displaced Syrians . That makes up more than 13 % of displaced Syrians 132 133 . Some Europeans ( including Germans ) have been overwhelmed by the large number of refugees . In response , there has been much humanitarian concern for refugees , but also widespread racism and xenophobia .
In August of 2015 most of the Syrian refugees had already arrived in Europe . In the same month the German ministry for migration and refugees ( BAMF ), sent a tweet regarding the Dublin Regulation . The tweet announced that the procedure of the Dublin Regulation has been suspended for Syrian refugees . 134 135 This allowed Syrians to apply for asylum in Germany even if they entered Europe in another European country and were registered there . 136 The legal asylum situation in a country significantly impacts on the number of people likely to make an application . After August 2015 , Syrians had good likelihood of receiving asylum whereas the chances are much lower at the time of writing . 137 This gave many refugees hope and they made their way to Germany , but it was not the only reason why so many refugees came to Germany within the last few years .
Often the first considered destination by many refugees is Europe . The country does not matter to many and is a secondary consideration . 138 Germany was not the primary choice of all refugees . Many had another destination in mind but were caught by the German police forcing them to stay in Germany . 139 One reason for why multiple refugees are caught by the police is that Germany is often used as a transit country . 140 . The country of asylum is not often chosen by the refugee themselves ; it is sometimes a decision against their will . 141 Many years ago , travelling longer distances was difficult ; today it is easier than ever . For this reason , geographical distance has become less of a factor and the political and legal factors in a country have become greater considerations . 142
Germany is often favoured by refugees . The first reason is that Germany is geographically well-placed in Europe . It is the centre of Europe and easy to reach . 143 It also makes it possible to easily move to another country if asylum is not accepted , giving the refugees more than one possibility . 144 Another influencing factor for asylum seekers is the location of friends and relatives . If a relative or a friend managed to immigrate into a country it can be a motivating factor for others to try it there too . Another possibility is that somebody is already there to help and support the asylum seeker . The “ community ” 145 is a sign of security . 146 People smugglers also influence this choice to a considerable degree as they are often in charge of deciding which destinations the refugees can and cannot go to . 147 Changes in migration routes or blocked routes can force them to pick another route , resulting in another country that is not the preferred destination of the refugee .
129 ( Luft 2016 , 9 )
130
( Database Eurostat 2019 )
131 ( BAMF 2019 )
132 ( Flucht und Asyl : Mediendienst Integration kein Datum )
133 ( UNHCR n . d .)
134 ( BAMF 2015 )
135 ( Zeit online 2015 )
136 ( The Dublin Regulation n . d .)
137 ( Unger 2019 )
138 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 84 )
139 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 86 )
140 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 98 )
141 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 85f .)
142 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 88 )
143 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 90 )
144 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 100 )
145 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 105 )
146 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 100-105 )
147 ( Dr . Scholz 2013 , 125 )
[ 21 ]