Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the government may not halt admission programmes for vulnerable Afghans outright, dealing a blow to Berlin's crackdown on refugee resettlement.
The case centred on the 'Human Rights List' programme and a complaint by an Afghan women's rights activist and her two minor sons currently in Pakistan. The family received an admission pledge in 2021, but the government suspended the programmes in May 2025 and revoked outstanding commitments that December. The Second Senate overturned a lower court's denial of a visa claim and ordered Berlin to continue supporting the family in Pakistan until a visa is granted or a constitutionally valid withdrawal is declared. Germany must also press Pakistani authorities to prevent the family's deportation to Afghanistan.
The ruling was remanded to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court. The Society for Civil Rights, which backed 31 constitutional complaints, said the decision could affect the fate of around 400 other Afghans awaiting resettlement.