New data published today by The Times of London show first-time asylum applications to Germany plummeted from 229,751 in 2024 to just over 106,000 in 2025—the lowest tally in more than a decade. The drop coincides with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s crackdown on irregular migration: tighter land-border controls, partial suspension of family reunification, reduced asylum benefits and the scrapping of voluntary humanitarian admissions. Federal Police reportedly turned back or repatriated nearly three-quarters of undocumented arrivals at the border last year.
Government supporters hail the numbers as proof that deterrence works. Yet migration scholars warn against simple cause-and-effect conclusions, noting that asylum filings fell across the EU as conflicts cooled in key origin states and economic conditions improved in the Western Balkans. Critics also point to legal challenges over push-backs that, they argue, breach EU asylum law.
From a labour-market perspective, business lobbies are uneasy. Sectors such as healthcare and construction rely heavily on migrant labour; the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) estimates 400,000 additional workers are needed annually to maintain output. Cutting migration without faster skilled-worker visas could worsen existing shortages, raising project costs for multinationals.
![Germany’s irregular immigration falls by half amid tougher border policies]()
For employers and prospective migrants now navigating this shifting landscape, VisaHQ can help simplify the process. Its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) provides real-time updates on work permits, skilled-worker visas and residency categories, along with step-by-step application support and document tracking—an invaluable resource when rules and eligibility criteria are in constant flux.
Politically, the hard line may be backfiring. Polling from Forschungsgruppe Wahlen suggests the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is siphoning support from the centre-right coalition, capitalising on anti-immigrant rhetoric. Some CDU lawmakers therefore advocate complementing enforcement with expanded skilled-migration pathways, including a liberalised Opportunity Card.
For mobility managers the message is mixed: while irregular flows are down, legal migration routes remain in flux. Companies should monitor forthcoming amendments to the Skilled Immigration Act and engage with authorities early to ring-fence quota allocations where available.
Government supporters hail the numbers as proof that deterrence works. Yet migration scholars warn against simple cause-and-effect conclusions, noting that asylum filings fell across the EU as conflicts cooled in key origin states and economic conditions improved in the Western Balkans. Critics also point to legal challenges over push-backs that, they argue, breach EU asylum law.
From a labour-market perspective, business lobbies are uneasy. Sectors such as healthcare and construction rely heavily on migrant labour; the German Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) estimates 400,000 additional workers are needed annually to maintain output. Cutting migration without faster skilled-worker visas could worsen existing shortages, raising project costs for multinationals.
For employers and prospective migrants now navigating this shifting landscape, VisaHQ can help simplify the process. Its Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) provides real-time updates on work permits, skilled-worker visas and residency categories, along with step-by-step application support and document tracking—an invaluable resource when rules and eligibility criteria are in constant flux.
Politically, the hard line may be backfiring. Polling from Forschungsgruppe Wahlen suggests the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is siphoning support from the centre-right coalition, capitalising on anti-immigrant rhetoric. Some CDU lawmakers therefore advocate complementing enforcement with expanded skilled-migration pathways, including a liberalised Opportunity Card.
For mobility managers the message is mixed: while irregular flows are down, legal migration routes remain in flux. Companies should monitor forthcoming amendments to the Skilled Immigration Act and engage with authorities early to ring-fence quota allocations where available.
