Asylum seekers should be allowed to work in Germany more quickly in the future – namely after just six months. The cabinet approved corresponding regulations. They also provide for longer prison sentences for smugglers.
The Federal Cabinet has made it easier for refugees to take up work. According to this, asylum seekers should in future be allowed to work after six months. For those without children, this is currently only possible after nine months. As a rule, tolerated persons should also be granted a work permit.
The existing opportunity to receive long-term toleration for employment should also be granted to those who have entered Germany by the end of 2022. The previous deadline was August 1, 2018. The period of prior employment required to receive this toleration will be reduced from 18 to twelve months. The minimum weekly working hours required for approval drops from 35 to 20 hours per week.
The federal government hopes that this will result in higher employment for asylum seekers. This should also relieve the burden on cities and municipalities when it comes to social benefits. However, people who have made “obviously unfounded” asylum applications from so-called safe countries of origin or who have refused to clarify their identity should not be able to benefit from the relief.
Tougher penalties for smugglers
The cabinet also wants harsher punishments for smugglers: smuggling that results in death due to carelessness should be punished with life imprisonment or ten to 15 years in prison – so far it has been three to 15 years. In the case of commercial or gang smuggling, the penalty increases to three to 15 years (previously one to ten years). Less serious cases should be punished with at least one year in prison (previously six months).
Attempts to evade a police check in a gross traffic violation – so-called breakthrough cases – should also be punished more harshly with one to 15 years in prison (previously three months to five years). The police and public prosecutor’s office should also be given the authority to monitor telecommunications to investigate all smuggling crimes.
In addition, regulations were passed to improve the exchange of data between the immigration and social authorities. The cabinet decisions are part of the migration package and should now be discussed in the Bundestag.