Germany Puts Visa and Immigration Processes in the Hands of AI
Germany is preparing to put artificial intelligence at the center of its visa, residence permit and asylum procedures.
If you cannot pass the AI-based screening process, you may not be able to obtain a German visa or residence permit. The same system will also apply to people seeking asylum in Germany from around the world.
Berlin is introducing AI into asylum, visa, residence and immigration procedures that it has struggled to manage due to extremely high demand and staff shortages.
The stated aim is to process applications faster and more consistently.
The federal government has approved a draft AI Migration Management Act, which provides for the use of AI-based systems in immigration administration.
📍 The legislation aims to digitally strengthen Germany’s refugee and migration authorities in response to high application volumes and staff shortages.
📍 The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), local foreigners’ authorities and the Federal Foreign Office will be able to use data collected during application procedures to train, validate and test AI models.
📍 Previously completed cases will be analyzed nationwide to assess decision-making processes and standardize procedures.
📍 The proposed legislation would also allow publicly available internet data to be automatically cross-checked when suspicious information is identified in an application.
Will AI make the final decision?
📍 The government emphasizes that final decisions will remain with human officials, while algorithms will be used only as “supportive tools.”
Despite facing significant criticism over the risks involved, the draft will become law if it passes the Bundestag and Bundesrat in the autumn following the federal government’s approval.
🚨 In practice, however, applications will have to pass AI-based screening before reaching the final decision stage.
The exact criteria and conditions determining what applicants will have to pass through these AI systems have not yet been disclosed.
From the autumn onward, AI could therefore play a decisive role in processes involving visas and residence permits — and in the assessment of asylum applications, including both approvals and rejections.
The development marks a shift beyond AI merely threatening jobs. Anyone seeking to travel to Germany, obtain temporary or permanent residence for education or employment, or seek asylum could increasingly find themselves subject to AI-driven immigration procedures.
Source: DW / dpa / TY, BK, MUK
