Asylum appeal courts see rising average processing times, with regional gaps widening
Average durations for asylum-related lawsuits against the BamF have increased, reaching about 15 months in the first half, with some states lagging far behind.
According to a response from the federal government, the average time for courts to resolve lawsuits against the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BamF) reached 15.3 months in the first half, up from 14.3 months the previous year. After a long-term decline from a 26.5-month average in 2021, the processing period is now lengthening again. Regional disparities are pronounced: Saxony recorded the longest average at 20.4 months, with Lower Saxony close behind at 20 months, while Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria reported averages of 9.2 and 10.7 months respectively.
The increase is attributed to a surge in asylum appeals and to courts handling a higher share of cases from applicants whose home-country situations make decisions more difficult, such as those from Turkey, Venezuela, Iran, Russia, Afghanistan and Turkey. In some instances, about half of the reviewed decisions concerning Iranian nationals were overturned by the courts.
Why it matters
Longer asylum case times delay protection for refugees and strain the judicial system.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same rise in average court processing times and regional disparities, but the right-leaning coverage emphasizes the climbing number of lawsuits and the pressure on other administrative cases.
LEFT
Left-leaning coverage presents the lengthening court processing times and regional gaps as a statistical trend linked to a surge in appeals and more complex cases.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the same data as evidence of climbing asylum lawsuits that are stretching court timelines and burdening other administrative matters.
The left emphasises
- average processing time rose to 15.3 months from 14.3 months
- regional gaps widened, with Saxony at 20.4 months and Bavaria at 10.7 months
- rise attributed to a surge in appeals and harder cases from countries like Turkey, Venezuela, Iran
The right emphasises
- open asylum lawsuits increased by several thousand cases
- average settlement time reached 15.3 months, up from 14.3 months
- the surge pressures courts handling other administrative matters
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