Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies Theses
2.4.2 . Future plans of the family
The family wishes to stay in Germany , and the current situation in Syria is making it hard for them to move back . They started to integrate well in Germany and have begun building up their new life . On the other hand , the current situation does not make it possible for them to return . A prison camp for IS terrorists was established in their former hometown . Nesrin explained how IS prisoners had to be led by two soldiers if they had to leave the camp for a short while , to meet with a doctor for example . This was in fear of their ideology spreading and mass radicalization . Because of the presence of the prison camp , many soldiers were stationed in Al-Hasaka , giving the city the appearance of a military base . The people fear that a concentration of so many terrorists may cause an uptake in their ideology . After talking about the current situation in their former hometown Nesrin stated very clearly that this is not an environment where she wants her children to grow up .
They clearly stated that they do not want to go back to Syria in its current state , although they miss their homeland . A gas explosion that caused a house fire caused , in turn , Nesrin ’ s mother to be seriously injured . Not only is money for the medical treatment missing , but also the medical situation and treatment is difficult at the moment due to the low quality of infrastructure . This is very difficult for the family , and especially for Nesrin , seeing her mother suffering and not having any possibility to help or visit her . They keep remain in regular contact with relatives and friends back in Syria .
The mother and her three children received asylum for three years which was extended for another three years in the winter of 2018 . Every three years they must apply for asylum again , fearing that they may be sent back to Syria . Arman ’ s asylum application was rejected with the demand to leave Germany within the next six weeks . They took legal action through an advocate to try to receive asylum for the father 160 , so that the family can stay together in Germany . The process deciding whether he gets the asylum for three years or not is still on-going . 161 The UNHCR explains the Dublin Regulation as
“ The purpose of this Regulation , adopted in 2003 , is to determine which State is responsible for examining an asylum application – normally the State where the asylum seeker first entered the EU – and to make sure that each claim gets a fair examination in one Member State .” 162
The only reason why the mother and her children officially entered the EU in Germany is that they were “ waved through ” after mentioning that their destination was Germany . This is in contrast to the father who was registered in Bulgaria . Currently , the point of entry is regarded as the point at which the refugee is initially registered into the Eurodac system .
All the family members hope to receive the German citizenship in the future . The father is currently practicing for his driver ’ s license and studying German . He is struggling with the theoretical part of the driver ’ s license as he finds it difficult to read Arabic . He is also struggling with studying German . He has taken more language lessons than his wife , so he could take the B1 test but has failed twice so far . He is looking for a job again after not passing the probationary period . The mother is studying German as well and speaks German well . She has not yet taken many language lessons but wants to take more so that she can pass the B1 test next year . She cannot work currently because she needs take care of her youngest son and has not found a free place in a day nursery . However , both are eager to find a workplace as soon as they can .
Apart from Hasan all the children are going to school and have learned good German in the last few years . Many schools in this area offered a migration programme , where the children were put into a “ transitional class ” which was specialized to help asylum seekers and refugees . There they helped the children to learn German as well as helping them to get used to the German school system and prepare them for their class . A particular challenge of the migration programme was working with so many children experiencing trauma . Nesrin ’ s children for example , would lie on the floor and try to hide as a means to process their trauma . The school was
160 ( Dr . Kiziak , Sixtus und Dr . Klingholz 2019 , 15 )
161 ( Haddad 2019 , 4f .)
162 ( The Dublin Regulation n . d .)
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