Germany offers cash to vulnerable Afghans to halt migration efforts

(GERMANY) Germany has begun offering cash payments to Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan if they agree to withdraw from a previously approved relocation program and return to Afghanistan or move to a third country, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on November 5, 2025. The offer targets about 2,000 to 2,300 Afghans who had already been cleared to resettle in Germany but have been stuck in Pakistan since the new government froze the program in May 2025, intensifying uncertainty for families who had expected safe passage.

The policy marks a sharp turn in approach under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative government, which has vowed to curb migration amid rising political pressure and far-right gains in opinion polls. For Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan, the new offer presents a stark choice: accept money to drop their claims and attempt life elsewhere, or remain in limbo with no clear path to Germany. Interior Minister Dobrindt defended the move, saying,

“It is logical that if we assume that people have no possibility of being admitted to Germany, we offer them some perspective and this is linked to making a financial offer for a voluntary return to Afghanistan or another third country.”

According to people close to the process and advocates working with those affected, Germany’s Interior Ministry has begun sending letters to Afghans on the relocation list, offering up to €10,000 as a “starter bonus” if they formally withdraw from the resettlement program. The payments vary by family composition and destination. A €2,500 lump sum is intended to cover departure costs from Pakistan, with further cash promised upon arrival in Afghanistan or a third country. Families have reported offers such as €2,750 immediately, plus €11,500 after they return to Afghanistan. Single women have been told they are eligible for €1,500 in Pakistan and an additional €5,000 if they travel to Afghanistan or another country.

The German Interior Ministry confirmed the shift in a statement that emphasized voluntary return and redirection rather than entry to Germany.

“There are offers within the framework of a voluntary return programme to Afghanistan or departure to another third country. The aim is to give prospects to people who cannot expect to be accepted in Germany,”

Payments are structured in two stages, with an initial installment available in Pakistan and the rest contingent on arrival at the declared destination.

The people affected by the freeze include Afghans who supported German forces or institutions during the two decades before the Taliban seized power, as well as vulnerable groups at acute risk under Taliban rule. After the government suspended the relocation program in May 2025, they were told to wait while procedures were reviewed. Many have now been stranded for months in Pakistan, where authorities have intensified arrests and deportations of Afghans without residency papers. Over the summer, more than 200 Afghans who had been accepted under Germany’s relocation program were deported to Afghanistan by Pakistani authorities, according to advocacy groups working on their cases.

For those facing the cash offer, the reaction has been largely one of shock and anger. Advocates say Afghans who had passed security checks and received approvals to move to Germany cannot understand why they are now being asked to abandon their plans. Eva Beyer of the advocacy group Airbridge Kabul said distress is widespread and shared a message she received from one refugee:

“I’ve been trembling all over and can’t stop crying. I don’t want money or bread, I just want to live in safety.”

She said she does not know of any cases in which the cash payments have been accepted so far.

The legal fallout has already begun. Some Afghans have challenged the freeze in German courts, arguing that the government has a duty to honor approvals issued before the change in policy. Last week, a group of 14 Afghans arrived in Germany after a successful legal challenge compelled the government to complete their relocation. Lawyers and advocates say more cases are pending, and the rulings could shape the fate of hundreds still waiting in Pakistan as the year-end approaches.

Berlin’s offer is being described as a voluntary return program tailored to a specific cohort—Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan who had previously been granted passage to Germany—and intended to provide, in the government’s words, “prospects” outside the country. Officials say the financial support is designed to help with relocation and resettlement needs such as travel, temporary accommodation, and basic expenses. The Interior Ministry’s framing emphasizes choice rather than coercion, but for many of those on the list, the decision feels anything but voluntary. After months of arrests and deportations in Pakistan and tightening controls on movement and employment, the cash payments may look like the only way to avoid further risk.

The situation in Pakistan has compounded the pressure. While Islamabad reached an agreement with Germany in September to halt further deportations of individuals in the German relocation program until the end of 2025, arrests have continued and Afghans report fear of detention in routine encounters with authorities. Families describe moving frequently, avoiding police checkpoints, and keeping children home from school to reduce the risk of being picked up. With legal residency difficult to obtain and fees high, many of those stranded have burned through savings or borrowed money at steep interest, expecting that their travel to Germany would proceed as promised.

For Berlin, the cash offer is part of a wider attempt to lower arrivals and tighten immigration policies that gained steam after the change in government. Chancellor Merz campaigned on firmer border controls and stricter asylum procedures. Since taking office, his administration has slowed or halted several admission pathways introduced after the Taliban takeover in 2021, when European governments promised safe routes for local partners and vulnerable groups. Interior Minister Dobrindt’s announcement formalizes a strategy to thin the pipeline by paying people to choose a different destination.

Letters outlining the payment terms refer to different amounts for individuals and families. A single person can receive €1,500 in Pakistan and €5,000 after arriving in Afghanistan or a third country, for a total of €6,500. In other cases, the letter states that a family of four could collect €2,750 immediately and €11,500 after return, totaling €14,250. Separate language describes a “starter bonus” of up to €10,000 tied to agreeing to withdraw from the German relocation program, combined with the €2,500 departure lump sum from Pakistan. The offers are presented as tailored to needs and destinations, and payments are released in stages to ensure onward movement.

The government has not said how many people have received the letters or how much it expects to spend. Nor has it clarified whether people who refuse the offer will retain any prospect of resettlement in Germany beyond end of 2025. The Interior Ministry has acknowledged that not all pending cases will be resolved by year’s end, despite procedures that were supposed to wrap up by then. That leaves hundreds—possibly more than two thousand—facing a winter in Pakistan with uncertain status and no clear timeline.

Legal experts say the court orders compelling the government to relocate specific individuals could set a precedent for others. The arrival of 14 Afghans last Thursday came after judges ruled that Berlin must complete their cases. Advocates note that many on the list had already cleared background checks and security vetting before the freeze in May 2025, making the case for legal enforcement stronger. But litigation is slow, costly, and not guaranteed to succeed, leaving most people reliant on political decisions or the new financial offer.

For families who supported German missions in Afghanistan, the shift has been especially hard to accept. They say Germany asked them to trust the system, then changed the terms after they had uprooted their lives. Some had crossed into Pakistan legally for processing, sold property to pay for housing and paperwork, and enrolled children in temporary schools. Others had been living in hiding in Afghan cities and relocated to Pakistan after receiving their approval notices, only to be detained or told their cases were on hold. The relocation program had served as the basis for decisions that cannot be easily reversed, even with a payout.

The German government argues that the cash payments can help people start anew closer to home or in a country where they have family ties. Officials say the two-stage disbursement ensures the funds are used for travel and immediate needs, not absorbed by intermediaries. They point to existing voluntary return schemes administered by federal migration authorities and international partners, framing the new steps as consistent with long-running policy tools. Information about Germany’s voluntary return framework is available through the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which coordinates support for people choosing to depart under official programs and provides practical guidance on travel and reintegration through its Federal Office for Migration and Refugees: Voluntary Return portal.

Advocates counter that this case is not a standard return scenario. The Afghans were not asking for asylum after irregular entry; they were invited to relocate through an official German channel and had already been accepted. Many are in danger under the Taliban due to their past association with Western forces and institutions. Airbridge Kabul and other groups have urged the government to honor the approvals, warning that sending people back to Afghanistan—or pushing them to seek refuge in third countries without support networks—carries serious risks. They also stress that single women, who are among those offered €1,500 in Pakistan and €5,000 after travel, face particular danger under current restrictions on female employment and movement in Afghanistan.

Despite the lack of known acceptances to date, the offer could still reshape the situation on the ground if people feel they have no alternative. In Pakistan, Afghan nationals stranded in Pakistan report that landlords have hiked rents and employers are reluctant to hire. Families that had planned to fly to Germany within weeks were told to wait, then saw their savings dwindle as the months passed. During the summer sweep that saw more than 200 Afghans in the German program deported to Afghanistan, some returned only to hide again or attempt risky border crossings to Iran. The September agreement between Berlin and Islamabad to pause deportations of this cohort through end of 2025 offered a measure of relief, but sporadic arrests have continued and fear remains high.

The political calculus in Berlin is straightforward. By paying people to opt out, the government reduces the number of arrivals and sends a message that prior commitments do not guarantee entry. That stance may resonate with voters worried about migration numbers but clashes with expectations set during and after the 2021 evacuation, when Germany pledged to protect those who worked alongside its troops and diplomats. The strain between political promises and current priorities is now playing out case by case in Pakistan’s cities and border towns, where families weigh cash against safety and certainty.

Dobrindt’s words underlined the new line.

“It is logical that if we assume that people have no possibility of being admitted to Germany, we offer them some perspective and this is linked to making a financial offer for a voluntary return to Afghanistan or another third country,”

he said, describing a policy meant to move people out of a holding pattern. The Interior Ministry reinforced that framing in its written statement: “There are offers within the framework of a voluntary return programme to Afghanistan or departure to another third country. The aim is to give prospects to people who cannot expect to be accepted in Germany.”

For the Afghans who have already waited months in Pakistan, the dilemma is immediate. Accept the payments and abandon the relocation program that once promised safety in Europe, or hold out for a court order or policy reversal that may never come. “I’ve been trembling all over and can’t stop crying. I don’t want money or bread, I just want to live in safety,” read the message shared by Eva Beyer, capturing the despair many feel as the year-end deadline looms and choices narrow.

Procedures tied to the frozen program were initially meant to conclude by the end of 2025, but the Interior Ministry concedes that not all cases will be resolved in time. Meanwhile, the letters continue to arrive, setting out amounts—€2,500 to facilitate departure from Pakistan, €10,000 as a “starter bonus,” €2,750 immediately for families, €11,500 upon return—and the conditions to collect them. For a cohort once told to pack for flights to Germany, the fine print now points in the opposite direction. The decisions they make in the coming weeks will determine whether the relocation program that brought them to Pakistan becomes a bridge to safety or a closed door with a cash offer taped to it.