German court backs Afghan woman's visa appeal in refugee scheme case

Germany's constitutional court on Friday backed an Afghan woman's appeal against an interior ministry decision to deny her a visa, even though she had previously been approved for entry.

The woman had been accepted under a refugee scheme set up by Germany's previous government. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration has tried to pull back from the scheme since taking office last year as part of a tougher immigration stance.

The plaintiff was one of more than 600 Afghans whose earlier approvals the interior ministry reversed as invalid in December. Those affected had either worked with German armed forces in Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban or had been judged to face particular risk from the Taliban after it returned to power in 2021. The second group included rights activists, journalists and their families.

Thousands of people were admitted under the scheme, but hundreds of others remained in Pakistan while waiting for German entry visas. In Pakistan, they faced the threat of deportation under a campaign to expel undocumented Afghans.

The woman in Friday's case had been approved for entry with her two children because of her human rights work. She had been stuck in Pakistan since late 2024 while waiting for a German visa. She unsuccessfully challenged the interior ministry's decision in lower German courts.

The constitutional court ruled that the ministry had acted arbitrarily by failing to review the details of her case.

Elaha Hakim of Airbridge Kabul, an initiative set up to help people affected by the issue, welcomed the ruling. She called on the government to examine the cases individually and provide protection to the families involved.