BERLIN – Germany has announced a cash incentive programme for Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan who agree to give up their attempts to enter Germany under a stalled resettlement scheme, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed on Wednesday.
The initiative is part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative government’s broader push to tighten migration policies, as immigration concerns continue to dominate public debate amid rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in recent polls.
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Around 2,000 Afghans, who had been approved for relocation to Germany due to security risks under Taliban rule or their cooperation with German forces, have been stuck in Pakistan for months after Berlin temporarily froze the programme initiated by the previous government.
Dobrindt said that only individuals with binding approvals to enter Germany will be permitted after additional security checks, while others will not qualify. “If we assume that people have no possibility of being admitted to Germany, we offer them some perspective — this is linked to a financial offer for voluntary return to Afghanistan or another third country,” he said.
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German media reports suggest the payments amount to several thousand euros, with an initial instalment available in Pakistan and the remainder paid upon arrival in Afghanistan or another country.