Germany bets on AI to tackle migration

The tool is set to help in the processing of asylum, visa and residence permit applications as Berlin grapples with an influx of newcomers

The German government has approved a bill to deploy artificial intelligence in processing asylum, visa and residence permit applications.

The initiative aims to accelerate procedures and reduce pressure on immigration authorities. It was endorsed by the cabinet on Wednesday but still requires backing from the federal parliament and Federal Council.

The EU’s economic powerhouse, Germany has long been the bloc’s leading destination for asylum seekers. In 2025, the country received more than 163,000 applications, accounting for about one in five claims lodged across the bloc’s 27 member states, according to the EU Agency for Asylum. The country also hosts the EU’s largest migrant population in absolute terms, with nearly 17 million foreign-born residents accounting for about 20% of Germany’s population.

Over the past year, the federal government has tightened Germany’s migration policy by expanding border checks, increasing the number of migrants turned back at the border, and accelerating asylum procedures and deportations. The measures marked a sharp break with the open-border policy adopted by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015.

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Under the proposed AI Migration Administration Act, based on legislation adopted in November 2025, the authorities would be allowed to use personal data from asylum and immigration proceedings to develop AI systems and other automated software. The government says the tools would help analyze administrative workflows, process applications more quickly and support decision-making, stressing that final decisions would remain the responsibility of migration officials.

The bill would also allow AI in cases where there are justified doubts about the accuracy of an applicant’s statements to compare information submitted in applications with publicly available information online.

The proposal has drawn criticism from several German human rights groups, which argue that the use of AI in migration procedures could undermine privacy and lead to discriminatory outcomes. Deutsche Welle cited digital rights watchdog AlgorithmWatch as saying that the government was seeking to use migrants and tourists as “guinea pigs” for the technology. The experts also said that the system could not guarantee the protection of personal data or prevent discrimination.

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Advocacy groups Pro Asyl and AWO reportedly warned of the risk of “algorithmic bias,” arguing that overburdened officials could become overly reliant on AI-generated recommendations instead of exercising independent judgment. Charity Caritas also cautioned that the use of AI in processing applications could increase the risk of errors.

The move comes amid a broader shift toward stricter migration rules implemented by the EU that has recently adopted the updated Pact on Migration and Asylum, which tightens border procedures, asylum screening and rules for managing migration flows across the bloc.

A similar AI-based measure is being explored in Britain, where there is a plan to deploy Facial Age Estimation technology at the border to help assess the age of migrants claiming to be minors. The proposal has also faced criticism from dozens of rights groups, which warn that the technology could produce inaccurate results, reinforce algorithmic bias, and raise concerns over the handling of sensitive personal data.