Overview

• The family, led by an Afghan scientist and writer, has waited over 16 months in Pakistan for German visas promised under a 2023 resettlement program.
• On May 12, 2025, the family filed a lawsuit and emergency injunction at the Berlin Administrative Court to compel the German Foreign Office to issue the visas.
• Their Pakistani visas have expired, and deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where they face severe risks, is imminent.
• The visa process has been delayed by additional security screenings introduced in mid-2023, with no clear timeline for resolution despite earlier assurances of readiness.
• Germany’s new coalition government plans to phase out voluntary resettlement programs, leaving 2,800 other Afghan pledge-holders in similar uncertainty.