Germany: Information on the rights to nationality and residence in Germany of ethnic Germans from the former Soviet republics
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DEU10659 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Germany: Information on the rights to nationality and residence in Germany of ethnic Germans from the former Soviet republics, 1 April 1992, DEU10659, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab5c14.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Sources currently available to the IRBDC indicate that ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have the right to nationality and residence in Germany (Reuters 4 Mar. 1992; U.S. Committee for Refugees 1991, 70; German Information Centre 1991, 5; The Economist 19 Oct. 1991, 58; Helsinki Watch Sept. 1991, 15). However, according to the World Refugee Survey 1991,
"as of July 1 [1991], Ausseidler [ethnic Germans from other countries] were no longer accepted automatically at the border, and were required to present a document issued by the German embassy in the country in which they had been living attesting to their German descent" (1991, 70).
The attached Reuters report from 4 March 1992 corroborates this information and provides additional details. A September 1991 Helsinki Watch report also refers to recent impediments to emigration of Soviet Germans and indicates that "it is now the policy of the German government to encourage Soviet Germans to remain in the USSR" (Sept. 1991, 11, 15).
Please see the attached articles for further information on this topic. In addition, please refer to Responses to Information Request DEU9223 of 12 August 1991 and DEU2082 of September 1989, available in the RefInfo database, for further information related to this topic including comments from officials of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
There is no further information currently available to the IRBDC on this topic.
References
The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 19 November 1991. Joyce M. Mushaben. "Germany's Immigrants." (NEXIS)
The Economist [New York]. 19 October 1991. "Germany's Immigrants: No Solution," p. 58.
German Information Centre. 1991. Focus On...Foreigners in Germany: Guest Workers, Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Ethnic Germans. New York: German Information Centre.
Helsinki Watch. September 1991. "Punished Peoples" of the Soviet Union: The Continuing Legacy of Stalin's Deportations. New York: Human Rights Watch.
Reuters. 4 March 1992. BC Cycle. Rolf Soderlind. "Ethnic Germans in the Fatherland - A Question of Guilt." (NEXIS)
U.S. Committee for Refugees. 1991. World Refugee Survey 1991. Washington, D.C.: American Council for Nationalities Service.
Attachments
The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 19 November 1991. Joyce M. Mushaben. "Germany's Immigrants." (NEXIS)
German Information Centre. IX 1991. Focus On...Foreigners in Germany: Guest Workers, Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Ethnic Germans. New York: German Information Centre, pp. 3, 5, 6.
Helsinki Watch. September 1991. "Punished Peoples" of the Soviet Union: The Continuing Legacy of Stalin's Deportations. New York: Human Rights Watch, pp. 11, 15.
Reuters. 4 March 1992. BC Cycle. Rolf Soderlind. "Ethnic Germans in the Fatherland - A Question of Guilt." (NEXIS) U.S. Committee for Refugees. 1991. World Refugee Survey 1991. Washington, D.C.: American Council for Nationalities Service, pp. 70, 71.
