Afghans face tougher security checks to move to Germany

Visa scheme was suspended after suspicion of Islamist extremists applying

Evacuees from Afghanistan arrive at a military base in Germany after the Taliban came to power in 2021. Getty

Afghans hoping to emigrate to Germany will face tougher security screening after suspected Islamist extremists applied for visas.

A scheme to bring vulnerable Afghans to safety from the Taliban was suspended in March over security fears.

German officials say they are working “at full speed” to resume visa applications but only once new checks are in place.

The priority is to bring in security interviews that Afghans will have to pass, the government said in documents published on Tuesday.

The alarm was raised at Germany’s embassy in Pakistan after evidence emerged of suspected “radical Islamist sympathies” among applicants.

After initially being approved, 10 visas were suspended. One has since been permanently revoked and nine remain under review.

Visa claims from people who used to work for German troops in Afghanistan were also suspended until a new process is created.

Diplomats have brought in 24 case workers to scrutinise visa claims. They will be looking for attempts at deception after some applicants not deemed to be dangerous were accused of making false claims about their identity.

“The government is working at full speed on establishing a process, especially the introduction of security interviews, with the goal of resuming the programme soon,” the foreign ministry said in a written statement to MPs.

German troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 as the Taliban recaptured power. EPA

About 30,000 people have been granted visas since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Some applications have taken place at a German embassy in Tehran.

Afghan refugees complained of excessive bureaucracy as Nato powers scrambled to bring people home following the capture of Kabul.

Germany set up a permanent scheme in 2022 aimed especially at women and vulnerable groups. The Taliban has brought in strict laws affecting women and girls since it came to power.

Right-wing MPs raised concerns that former Afghan judges or prosecutors could bring a hardline view of the law to Germany, but officials said there was no evidence this had happened.

The UN said on Tuesday it had documented more than 3,700 civilian casualties including 1,095 people killed in violence since then, mainly in attacks with improvised explosives.

Germany's scheme for vulnerable Afghans is aimed especially at women and girls. Reuters

Campaigners say few of those granted visas have arrived in Germany. Ministers say the aim is for about 1,000 people a month to be admitted.

Fellow Nato powers have set up similar schemes. In Britain, about 7,000 people have been resettled under two programmes established following the evacuation of Kabul.

Germany deployed 93,000 troops in Afghanistan, with 59 casualties in its biggest military intervention since the Second World War.

An inquiry into the campaign heard of a lack of military intelligence on the poor state of the Afghan army as it collapsed.

A rift between the US and Germany over the pace of training for Afghan police also marred efforts to hand over responsibility to local forces, a committee was told.