After dangerous crossings and sleepless nights, refugees fleeing violence in Syria reach their goal only to find that a longer bureaucratic journey has just begun.
Many of the asylum-seekers who make it to Germany must spend months in refugee camps waiting for application approval, during which time they cannot search for work or another place to live.
The Syrian refugees hold a special legal status for the first three months that protects them from deportation, according to German asylum lawyer Julianne Scheer.
Germany has scaled back its previous open-door policy for refugees, reinstated border controls and introduced legislation limiting state benefits to only certain populations migrating to the country. Still, the government says nearly all Syrian refugees will receive asylum in the long run.
The refugees can only wait patiently in the meantime, said Ruaa Adna Sulaiman, who experienced the process 15 years ago when she arrived in Germany as a refugee from Iraq.
“It’s not hunger. It’s not unsafety,” said Sulaiman. “Everything is offered for them here. But the procedures, it will take time, and some people give up so quickly.”
The Diab family found themselves in limbo after being transported by German authorities to a refugee camp in a village near the Czech border. Majdoleen Diab said she and her husband appreciate the time to rest with their two-year-old after the long and difficult journey from Syria, but look forward to finding work so they can start a new life for their daughter.
“We leave our country for her future,” said Diab. “And our country now, we haven’t future there.”
Warm up questions
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What is a refugee?
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Why are people migrating from Syria to Europe?
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Look at a map and plot a journey from Syria to Germany. What geographical challenges do you see?
Critical thinking questions
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Why do you think the asylum process takes so long?
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What can Syrian refugees do in the meantime to help their transition to life in Germany?
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The U.S. recently announced it will take in 85,000 Syrian refugees in 2016. How do you think refugees will adjust to life here as opposed to Germany?
