Fresh data released on 24 November by the Interior Ministry reveal that Germany deported 19,538 people in the first ten months of 2025—an 18 % increase year-on-year and 45 % higher than in 2023. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told Bild am Sonntag that the government "will consistently intensify removals, including to Syria and Afghanistan," signalling a hardening line ahead of regional elections.
The surge follows the re-introduction of systematic border checks with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and the expansion of joint raids on accommodation centres. Officials credit the abolition of the visa-remonstration procedure in July and a new fast-track asylum docket in the administrative courts with clearing procedural backlogs.
![Germany’s deportations up 18 % as interior ministry doubles down on tough migration stance]()
Employers should note the indirect impact on talent mobility. Compliance audits now routinely examine payroll records and residence-permit validity; companies hosting secondees who fall out of status face higher fines and public-tender bans. At the same time, legitimate applications for intra-company transfers are being processed more swiftly as consular staff previously tied up with appeals have returned to front-line adjudication.
Trade associations worry that the political optics of rising deportations could discourage urgently needed skilled workers. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) has called for “a clear separation between irregular migration control and the business immigration channel” to avoid reputational damage abroad.
The surge follows the re-introduction of systematic border checks with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and the expansion of joint raids on accommodation centres. Officials credit the abolition of the visa-remonstration procedure in July and a new fast-track asylum docket in the administrative courts with clearing procedural backlogs.
Employers should note the indirect impact on talent mobility. Compliance audits now routinely examine payroll records and residence-permit validity; companies hosting secondees who fall out of status face higher fines and public-tender bans. At the same time, legitimate applications for intra-company transfers are being processed more swiftly as consular staff previously tied up with appeals have returned to front-line adjudication.
Trade associations worry that the political optics of rising deportations could discourage urgently needed skilled workers. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) has called for “a clear separation between irregular migration control and the business immigration channel” to avoid reputational damage abroad.
