Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Her Excellency Laura Camilla Sarabia Torres, Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to further strengthen the two countries’ cooperation on migration.

In the document, Germany and Colombia formally express their shared intention to work even more closely together on promoting migration for the purpose of training, study and employment. Both countries also intend to combine forces to prevent irregular migration. And both countries plan further support for educational and research exchanges. 

Federal Minister Faeser said: “Colombia is a key partner for Germany – not only in fighting organised crime and drug trafficking, but also in preventing irregular migration. Only 0.3 per cent of asylum applications from Colombian nationals are accepted.

“At the same time, Colombia has many young people who want to work in Germany. This is an excellent opportunity to attract productive and skilled workers to Germany, especially for occupations with labour shortages. In this way, we are applying to Colombia the same clearly defined migration policy we have been pursuing in recent years: we are offering young Colombians good training opportunities in Germany, and we are helping skilled workers to come to Germany and work here. At the same time, we are continuing to strictly curb irregular migration.”

Her Excellency Laura Camilla Sarabia Torres, Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: “I welcome the signing of this Joint Declaration, which demonstrates how we are working together in the areas of education, technology, migration and labour and in overcoming the challenges facing our two countries. Colombia strives to put our successful migration partnership on firmer footing and to expand cooperation on human mobility. We are therefore very grateful that Germany is not only Colombia’s ally, but also its friend and strategic partner.”

Dr Joachim Stamp, Federal Government Special Commissioner for Migration Agreements, said: “The migration partnership between Germany and Colombia has started off very successfully. Our cooperation has achieved positive results within a very short time. This shows once again that partnership based on trust is essential for progress in migration policy. But it is also clear that we must keep working to make sure this positive trend continues. We are reducing the number of asylum applications which have little chance of success. Instead, we are offering an invitation to train or study in Germany, or to gain the skills needed for legal migration and employment in our labour market. That is what we are working on with our Colombian partners.”

In the last few years, Germany has seen a major increase in the number of asylum applications from Colombian nationals which have little chance of success. Colombia currently ranks 8th in terms of nationals applying for asylum in Germany. However, only about 0.3 per cent of asylum applications from Colombian nationals are successful. In view of this situation, in February 2024 Germany and Colombia agreed to work together on managing migration. In the first three months of 2025, the number of asylum applications from Colombian nationals was 42 per cent lower than in the same period in 2024.

In addition, the migration partnership between Germany and Colombia is intended to expand the recruitment of skilled workers and to provide more information about opportunities for targeted migration into Germany’s labour market. That is why information about legal pathways for migration is an important element of cooperation between the two countries.

The Joint Declaration represents significant progress towards greater cooperation between Colombia and Germany in the field of migration. The document is the result of joint efforts by the Colombian ambassador to Germany, Federal Minister Faeser and Special Commissioner Stamp. As part of these efforts, Federal Minister Faeser travelled to Bogotá, Colombia, for a working visit in March 2024, and Special Commissioner Stamp visited Colombia in February and December 2024.

 A joint steering group has coordinated the migration partnership between Colombia and Germany since December 2024. The steering group is made up of experts from the two countries’ ministries of foreign affairs, of the interior, labour and education; it also includes representatives of the national and regional labour and immigration authorities.

On 23 April, Special Commissioner Stamp will travel to Colombia with Colombian Ambassador Yadir Salazar-Mejía and an expert delegation from Germany to continue negotiations on a migration agreement. The purpose of the visit is to draw up a working agenda with representatives of the Colombian government and local authorities in Bogotá and other regions.

Germany’s Federal Government has already signed migration agreements with India, Georgia, Kenya and Uzbekistan. A comprehensive migration partnership with Morocco has been in place since January 2024. These agreements have already reduced irregular migration, improved cooperation on returns and led to progress on labour migration. The Federal Government is conducting talks and negotiations with other countries as well.

Migration partnerships are specifically tailored to each country. Some of them are based on international treaties, while others are based on memorandums of understanding (MoUs) or the establishment of bilateral working structures for practical and trusting cooperation.