Germany will spend around $6.6 billion to cope with an estimated 800 000 refugees expected to
have entered the country in the year 2016 this reality indeed extending further into 2017.
Despite this overwhelming number of people entering the country Chancellor Angela Merkel
stated that there is no legal limit to the number of asylum seekers Germany will take in in the
coming years. The announcement by Merkel's coalition government followed Germany and Austria
opening their borders to the large numbers of refugees making their way north and west from the
Middle East Africa and elsewhere. In particular this statement came after the Syrian refugee
crisis created the biggest refugee crisis the world has seen since the Second World War.
Germany is seen as the immigration hub of Europe. It also happens to be the second most popular
destination for immigrants after the United States of America. Germany is also the country in
Europe with the highest numbers of foreign nationals to date. Germany established a new
immigration law in 2005 which was born out of a realization that it was coming to terms with a
demographic crisis stemming from an ageing population and further complimented by a sharp
decline of national birth rates. In foresight and within this unfortunate context migration
was seen by much of the German political class as an economic necessity and the answer to the
German economic and demographic time bomb. Between the years 2009 and 2014 annual net
migration in Germany rose from 100 000 to 580 000 individuals. Moreover the inflow of foreign
nationals increased from 266 000 to 790 000 individuals. As of January 2015 approximately 10%
of residents in Germany were foreign nationals with around 12% born outside the country.
Naturally these figures have all risen significantly following Merkel's decision to allow what
has reached one million refugees and migrants into Germany across 2016 and moving into 2017.
Moving from this reality the research will focus on the importance of the compliance of
Germany's migration policy with International Refugee and Migration Law as it is crucial for
the country's survivability and move forward throughout this phase of its history. The
importance of the research lies in whether or not Germany's migration policy towards the Syrian
Refugees in particular complies with its duties toward international law embodied in the
treaties and conventions it has committed to.
