In Berlin and across FRG, number of new protection seekers increases, predominantly young men

Engelhard Mazanke, Director of the Berlin Immigration Office, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

Mazanke reported that every twentieth person fleeing Ukraine arrives in the German capital.

Recently, he acknowledged, the number of refugees has been increasing.

“This trend is characteristic of all of Germany and likely of all of Europe. The composition of refugees has changed since March 2022. Initially, those arriving were mainly women, older people, and children, since many men stayed in Ukraine. Since August, an increasing number of young men aged 18 to 22 have been arriving, with some joining their families and others coming alone. Between 20 and 100 people were arriving in Berlin each week, and this number is now growing, at least 150–200 per week, up to a maximum of 500–700,” the official noted.

He also assured that the process of receiving Ukrainian war refugees is functioning very effectively, and that Berlin became a pioneer in overcoming bureaucratic hurdles when, in 2022, “two worlds collided: distressed people who had to flee with only a few belongings, and the German authorities, known for their meticulous verification procedures.”

In March 2022, Berlin, which had become the central reception hub for Ukrainians, developed a digital process over a single weekend that enabled Ukrainian refugees to print a certificate confirming their legal residence, status, and work authorization within seconds of registration. This was an emergency measure, as Germany typically requires a forgery-proof document issued by the Federal Printing Office following an application, verification, and production process.

“Our accelerated process was necessary, even though we were unable to coordinate it with the federal government in advance… The process worked well because Ukrainian passports have a high level of forgery protection,” Mazanke remarked.

Today, he said, this procedure continues: anyone over the age of 16 undergoes biometric registration at a state office and receives a temporary document. After its validity period (up to 11 weeks) expires, an appointment is scheduled during which the residence permit sticker is placed in the passport.

As reported, Germany has accepted between 1.2 and 1.3 million Ukrainian war refugees, the most among all countries.