Overview

• About 8,000 refugees with Greek asylum status lodged fresh claims in Germany between January and May 2025, joining over 26,000 similar cases in 2024.
• Under Schengen rules, recognized protection holders can travel visa-free for up to 90 days within six months but are barred from filing additional asylum requests.
• The Federal Police union (GdP) labels the lack of airport checks "absurd" and calls for explicit authority to conduct screenings and turn back secondary migrants.
• An April ruling by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig deemed deportations of single, healthy, working-age men to Greece legally permissible.
• Efforts to implement returns are stalled by Greece’s refusal to readmit secondary migrants and by Pro Asyl’s warnings of inhumane reception conditions.