BERLIN (AP) — The German government wants to temporarily ease visa restrictions for earthquake survivors from Turkey and Syria who have close family ties to Germany if they are homeless or injured.
“It’s about helping in times of need. We want to allow Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to bring close relatives from the disaster region,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote on Twitter.
“They can find shelter with us and get medical attention,” Faeser said. “With regular visas, which are issued quickly and are valid for three months.”
However, not all requirements of a normal visa process are waived. Applicants must still be able to present a valid passport, which can be a barrier for people who have fled the collapsed buildings.
Several million people in Germany have Turkish roots because, more than 60 years ago, West Germany recruited “guest workers” from Turkey and elsewhere to help the country progress economically.
More recently, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have come to Germany seeking refuge from the brutal civil war at home.
Turkish and Syrian immigrants in Germany have been collecting aid, sending donations and worrying about their relatives back home. Requests to allow them to receive close family members from the devastated regions have been mounting for days.
The German government said it would quickly ease visa requirements, which are usually very strict and bureaucratic, adding that the foreign ministry had already increased its staff in Turkey and redeployed capacity to visa acceptance centers there.
Earthquake victims who want to seek refuge in Germany and want to apply for a three-month visa must prove that they have close family members in Germany who have German citizenship or the right of permanent residence, German news agency dpa reported.
The German member of the host family must submit a declaration promising to pay for the guest’s accommodation and subsequent departure.
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