While horrifying disasters from earthquakes struck the world, the death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria surpassed 29,000 on Sunday.
Germany
In recent updates on Germany, the German government has now announced that Germany is planning to ease the visa restrictions temporarily and the authorities will issue regular C-visas valid for a period of three months to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria who have family ties to Germany.
This Germany visa will allow them a short-term stay with their relatives in Germany, and the visas will be processed quickly and will be free of charge. Announcing the statement for visa accessibility, the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, expressed that the government of Germany wants to make it easy and possible for earthquake victims facing homelessness or needing medical treatment to join and console their families in Germany.
“As the German government, we want to help ensure that families in Germany can temporarily take in relatives affected by the earthquake if they no longer have a roof over their heads or need medical treatment,” wrote Annalena Baerbock on her official Twitter account.
Minister Baerbock further added, “The Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior have formed a task force that is now starting work. The aim is to make visa procedures as unbureaucratic as possible for those affected. We have increased staff at foreign missions in Türkiye and reallocated capacities.”
Minister Annalena Baerbock also stated that Germany has increased the number of employees at its missions in Turkey, emphasising that the goal is to make and provide the current German visa procedures as unbureaucratic and simple for the victims who have been affected by the earthquake.
The Interior Minister of Germany Nancy Faeser also disclosed Germany’s plan to temporarily ease the visa rules for Turkish and Syria earthquake victims
“This is an emergency aid.” “We want to allow Turkey or Syrian families in Germany to bring their close relatives from the disaster area to their home without bureaucracy,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to the Bild newspaper on Saturday.
Minister Faeser provided details on the visa stay, at the same time pointed out that not all German visa requirements would be waived. Earthquake victims obtaining a Germany visa under the stated rules will still be required to produce their passports. Many people found this to be a significant challenge because they needed to be escorted out of their homes quickly.
The current data show that there are around 2.9 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, with half of them holding Turkish nationality. The overall number of Syrians living in Germany is vast too, about 924000 people.
Individuals must meet the following requirements in order to obtain one of these Germany visas:
- be affected by the earthquake (either at risk for homelessness or severe injuries that require treatment).
- be a first- or second-degree relative, including spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of a German national or permanent residence permit holder. The family must have submitted a declaration of commitment complying with German law, demonstrating that they can cover the individual’s cost of living.
- Be from an earthquake-affected region, such as Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, Malatya, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Adiyaman, Kilis, or Osmaniye.
The individual who apply for Germany visa is required to submit a regular application form, an original passport, health insurance, a declaration from their relative in Germany, proof of identity card or passport of their sponsoring relative, proof of residence in the above-listed area, and a description of the emergency aid. For minors, signatures or notarized consent of their parents or proof of sole custody is required.
The decision came as the death toll from the disaster surpassed 29,000 on Sunday, while millions have been displaced from Turkey and Syria. These accelerated and simplified visas are primarily intended to help earthquake victims seeking refuge in Germany.