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The German Foreign Ministry has said that the country is using a new faster procedure to issue visas for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims and the same stressed that the number of beneficiaries has increased.
According to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Germany has issued 1,333 visas so far. Of the total, 1,097 visas have been issued under the new simplified procedure that has been put in place after the earthquake, and the remaining visas have been issued under existing regulations for family reunification, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Info Migrants explains that the new procedure that Germany is currently using is aimed at assisting victims of both Türkiye and Syria.
Nonetheless, there are differences as Turkish nationals who have been affected by the earthquake are permitted to stay with their relatives in Germany for up to 90 days, while Syrian victims have the option to apply for national visas to remain permanently in the country.
Even though Germany has already facilitated some of its rules for earthquake victims applying for a visa, bureaucratic hurdles continue to remain high. All Turkish as well as Syrian earthquake victims are required to present a valid passport and a biometric photograph when applying for a German visa. This has caused problems for many as they have lost their documents in the earthquake.
In addition, only a few people in Türkiye hold a passport, to begin with, due to the cost of the document, leaving them unable to apply for a visa.
In order to help all those affected by the earthquake, Germany has already sent additional staff to its foreign missions and is processing visas as fast as possible for victims who are in need of medical treatment and those facing homelessness.
Earthquake victims wishing to get a German visa through the accelerated procedure must prove to the authorities that they have relatives living in Germany who hold a permanent German residence permit or German citizenship.
Additionally, they must also prove that their place of residence is in one of the affected provinces, and their relatives who legally reside in Germany must sign a commitment declaration.
Germany is not the only EU country that has been issuing visas under facilitated procedures for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims. Switzerland is also prioritising visa applications filed by earthquake victims.
Earlier in February, the Swiss Secretariat for Migration said that all victims who have close family ties with citizens of Switzerland will be able to obtain a visa without having to undergo strict rules and join them temporarily.
Similarly, Belgium has also eased and accelerated the visa application procedure for earthquake victims, permitting them to stay with their relatives in Belgium for a temporary period.
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