The future of thousands of at-risk Afghans who had hoped to move to Germany to rebuild their lives through its federal admissions program is in limbo as visa processing for their resettlement was abruptly halted.
A number of Afghan artists who had already received permission for admission from the German authorities tell The arts journal that they were informed at the beginning of April that their applications were put on hold, with some being informed that the delay could take two to three months.
“Two to three months is a long time. We thought we would be in Germany soon, but instead we are in another uncertain situation,” says Mohammad*, an established artist who had had a visa interview at the German Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. , but was later informed that his request would be delayed. until the program officially resumes.
In October 2022, the German government announced that it had granted admission permits to 38,100 Afghans, of whom approximately 26,000 had already entered Germany. The federal program planned to admit about 1,000 Afghans per month, considered to be particularly at risk of persecution by the Taliban.
As the evacuation of Afghans fell onto the agenda of other Western governments, Germany’s program became the only hope for many who had been left behind. The program particularly targets artists and cultural figures, a group rarely recognized as being at risk, as well as workers in politics, justice, media, academia and education, and those considered vulnerable because of their gender, sexual orientation or religion. . Only people who are still in Afghanistan and who are recommended by authorized agencies are considered; individuals cannot apply.
However, the program was recently suspended with immediate effect by the German Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry due to “isolated indications of possible attempted abuse”, according to German media. The German Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
The freeze is another blow to some of Afghanistan’s top artists, who had pinned their hopes on a new life in Germany and invested huge sums in obtaining visas.
Before US-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Mohammad taught art at the US Embassy in Kabul for five years. Among his students was even the wife of the 2016-17 ambassador, Hugo Llorens. He also taught NATO military personnel for a decade in an art program. Yet despite his connections to senior diplomats and the Western military, which put him at risk, he was left behind during the evacuation. His pleas for help to powerful Westerners whom he once considered friends were unsuccessful.
Mohammad got a case number for a U.S. special immigrant visa. However, the request requires the Afghans to resettle in a third country for the duration of the process – about two years – which he could not afford.
There was some respite when he received preliminary approval for a visa from Germany last summer, but without a German embassy in Afghanistan he had to travel to Iran or Pakistan to finalize the process. Both countries require Afghans to obtain a visa before entering. The increase in the number of Afghans traveling to Pakistan has driven the price of visas from around $100 per person to between $250 and $1,400, with the cheapest options often denied to men. Mohammad’s Pakistani visa application has been rejected 15 times. Finally, he borrowed the money to pay an agent $1,350 for the visa, which was approved within hours. His family’s visas cost $250 per application.
German authorities are covering the cost of living for Mohammad and his family while in Pakistan, but he still has to find the money to extend his soon-to-expire Pakistani visa. Mohammad says about 45 people in his hotel are in the same uncertain situation.
Lives put on hold
Ali*, another established artist who couldn’t leave Afghanistan, was also approved for the German program last summer. By December, he had received his passport and saved $700 to obtain a visa for Pakistan. However, after his application was rejected eight times, he decided to pursue his case from Iran. He received an Iranian visa in January and had scheduled an interview with the German embassy in Tehran for mid-April. On April 1, he was informed that the meeting had been cancelled. Two weeks later, he was told that the embassy in Tehran could no longer process his application and that he would have to travel to Pakistan when the program resumed.
“My life has been put on hold, I can’t work and I can’t plan anything. It’s a constant stress and there are no guarantees. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone; it’s a horrible feeling,” says Ali, who doesn’t know how to raise the potential $1,400 required for a Pakistan visa.
“All my hopes were pinned on getting approval from Germany to [the delay in visa processing] is a blow, not only for me but for other cultural figures with a legitimate case like mine,” says Ashtak*, one of the most recognized Afghan artists.
Ashtak was a popular figure in Western diplomatic circles. Among his main supporters were Karen Pierce, the former British ambassador to Afghanistan, Italian ambassador Roberto Cantone and his wife, as well as the embassies of Finland and the United States, to name a few. Just a month before Kabul fell, US Embassy officials rushed to buy 18 of his works. Despite his connections, his appeals to secure passage to a safe country for him and his family were unsuccessful.
People who had campaigned on Ashtak’s behalf finally got his case noticed by an authorized German agency last year. In September, he was asked to provide his documents for processing, a first step towards visa approval. Seven months later, his hopes have faded and he wonders if the program will ever resume.
“The mental stress of this endless uncertainty is painful. I even got sensitive to staring at my phone screen, hoping for that email or that approval call,” he says. “All my hopes are pinned on Germany resuming admissions. If they don’t, it will be another huge misery inflicted on Afghans.
*Names have been withheld to protect their identity
