Selektiver Schutz: das humanitäre Aufnahmeprogramm für syrische Flüchtlinge in Deutschland

Abstract

The often praised temporary humanitarian admission programme through which Germany grants two year residence permits to Syrian refugees in Syria and its neighbouring countries Egypt and Libya, uses several criteria, such as family and other ties to Germany, vulnerability, and useful skills for the reconstruction of Syria, in its admission selection process. This paper argues that these criteria and the temporary character of the programme allow the German state to carefully select refugees in order to minimize its legal and economic responsibilities towards them. Though some aspects of the programme facilitate the application process and economic integration of refugees and encourage a more flexible approach taking into account transnational ties and mobile solutions, the programme also risks enabling tendencies in the global refugee regime which could lead to a reduction of assumed responsibility among Northern states and to more inequality among states and refugees.