Ukrainians not to be forced to leave Germany in haste after end of hostilities – migration official
Engelhard Mazanke, Director of the Berlin Immigration Office, Germany’s most significant immigration authority, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.
He recalled that the EU’s decision on granting protection has once again been extended and remains valid until March 2027.
Mazanke noted that no one knows what may happen by then. He added that it is certain there will not be serious discussions in 2027 about sending 1.3 million people back within a short timeframe and without exceptions. “This will definitely not happen in Germany, regardless of how the political situation evolves. And even if someone were to demand something of the sort, which is not the case now, practical implementation would be impossible,” Mazanke explained.
He added that Germany has never before experienced a situation where so many people from a “culturally close country” immigrated within such a short period.
Compared to 2015–2016, when the Federal Republic of Germany experienced a wave of refugees primarily from Syria and other refugee flows, the difference is that those arriving from Ukraine were mainly middle-aged women with professional experience and children, rather than men.
Mazanke refrained from predicting what proportion of Ukrainians might decide to stay in Germany and what proportion might return. Still, he suggested – drawing on Germany’s experience with refugees from the wars in the Balkans – that the split could be roughly equal. In his view, much will depend not so much on whether Ukrainians are employed, but on how their family circumstances develop.
“Migration studies – including within the EU – have shown that the decisive factor for permanent residence in a new country after immigration is not employment, language, or education, but the creation of a new family. The foundation of integration is less about career and more about family,” Mazanke noted.
He also expressed the view that obtaining German citizenship, which is available to those who meet the requirements, including employment, tax payments, and not receiving state benefits, after five years of residence, will not prevent a return to Ukraine but may instead encourage such a decision.
As reported by Ukrinform, a recent survey by the INSA institute found that most citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany oppose cash benefits (Bürgergeld) for Ukrainian refugees and simultaneously support the return of men of conscription age to Ukraine.
