In Baden-Württemberg, asylum claims take more than 7.5 months to process. In other federal states, in extreme cases, court proceedings can take up to 19 months. By filing a lawsuit, asylum seekers can challenge the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees’ (BAMF) refusal to grant asylum in administrative courts.
In fact, the state ministers-presidents have set a target for 2023: asylum cases should be completed within six months. But the reality is different. The German magazine for judges (DRiZ) sent a request to the relevant state ministries. According to DRiZ, 76,646 new main cases had been filed with the administrative courts by June 30, 2025, as unanimously reported by the media.
BAMF is working faster
These nearly 77,000 cases already account for about three-quarters of the lawsuits in 2024. Last year, there were a total of 100,494 cases. This seems incomprehensible, as the number of asylum applications has decreased significantly – by almost 50 percent compared to the first half of 2024. Sven Reben, federal executive director of the German Judges Association and publisher of DRiZ, attributed the longer decision-making period to the fact that “the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees is now processing asylum cases faster.” As a result, the increase in the number of appeals against BAMF decisions means that court proceedings are taking longer than planned.
Representative media reports and current figures on asylum: Tagesschau | Number of asylum appeals has risen
For the situation in Baden-Württemberg, see: Staatsanzeiger | Number of asylum appeals in the southwest has risen significantly
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