What is resettlement?

Resettlement is an internationally recognised instrument of refugee policy. The aim of resettlement is to give people who are in special need of protection a legal and safe way to enter a third country that is willing to admit them. To be eligible for resettlement, the people in question need to have been recognised as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the UNHCR must have identified a need for resettlement: that is, that the refugees can neither return to their home country nor remain in their current country of refuge. People who are admitted for resettlement are in special need of protection, for example because they have been subjected to torture or violence, because they need medical care or because they are at risk of being imprisoned in their country of first refuge.

Refugees with a helper at a government office (Larger version opens in new window) Source: www.GordonWelters.com

The federal resettlement programme

Under Germany’s federal resettlement programme, a certain number of especially vulnerable refugees are admitted to Germany each year for permanent resettlement. The legal basis is section 23 (4) of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz). The Federal Government works closely with the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the resettlement procedures; the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is responsible for carrying out the admission procedures.

BAMF decides which refugees to resettle following local interviews. Refugees must also complete the visa application procedure and undergo a personal security interview.

After entering Germany, resettlement refugees are housed in an initial reception centre for two weeks to help them adjust to life in Germany, for example by participating in orientation courses. They are then resettled in the various federal states, which organise their long-term accommodation and integration.

Germany and the EU resettlement programme

Germany resettles refugees within the resettlement framework of the European Union (EU). The European Commission regularly calls on the EU member states to supply information on how many refugees from which countries they can resettle voluntarily. By officially reporting this information to the European Commission, the member states can receive EU funding from the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

For 2025, Germany has reported the largest contingent within the EU resettlement framework, offering places for up to 6,560 people for resettlement, for humanitarian admission from Turkey, for the NesT joint government and civil-society resettlement programme and for the federal state of Berlin’s admission programme. Refugees of different nationalities and stateless refugees in their countries of first refuge (Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan and Libya) are admitted for resettlement.

Date of revision: 03 March 2025