German Court Rules Mass Cancellation of Afghan Admissions Unlawful

DID Press: Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the government cannot revoke humanitarian admission approvals for Afghan nationals through a blanket decision, requiring authorities to assess each case individually.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by an Afghan woman and her two children, who were accepted under Germany’s humanitarian resettlement program following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

The court found that the Interior Ministry’s December 2025 decision to terminate the program and cancel around 640 outstanding admission commitments without individual assessments violated the constitutional prohibition against arbitrary state action.

The judges affirmed that while the German government has broad authority to shape immigration policy, those powers must be exercised within constitutional limits. Once authorities have formally approved an individual’s admission, any subsequent decision to revoke that approval must be based on the specific circumstances of that person rather than a collective policy decision.

The court also instructed the competent administrative court to reconsider the family’s case. Until a new lawful decision is issued or visas are granted, the German government must continue providing financial support to the family, which is currently residing in Pakistan.

The ruling comes as Germany seeks to tighten its immigration policies and scale back humanitarian admission programs. However, the court stressed that while the government may revise future migration policies, it cannot withdraw previously issued commitments through blanket measures without individual legal review.

Legal observers say the decision could strengthen the position of hundreds of Afghan nationals whose humanitarian admission cases have remained unresolved since Germany suspended the program.