Decision-makers , Date: 2024.02.13, format: Article, area: Asylum and refugee protection

Decision-makers working at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees have a highly-varied working life allowing them to obtain a profound insight into the lives and stories of people who are seeking protection in Germany. The job of examining asylum applications includes both the important personal interview, and the subsequent decision on the application. This brings decision-makers into contact with people who are especially vulnerable. These individuals may have been displaced by war and violence, or have experienced terrible things en route to their place of refuge. These conversations may be highly intense in emotional terms, given that applicants report on their experiences, whilst the question also remains undecided as to whether they may remain in Germany. Decision-makers therefore need a high degree of empathy in order to accommodate the applicants, and to appropriately respond to their needs.

Decision-makers at the Federal Office are carefully trained and prepared for their responsible task. As well as learning the law underlying their work, and the requisite interview techniques, they are taught how to assess the applicants’ plausibility, and to deal with specific situations such as interviewing individuals suffering from trauma. These training courses are held at the Federal Office’s central Skill-Building Centre, and include both theoretical content, and practical exercises using case examples. In addition to this, both new colleagues and those who already have experience are obliged to attend regular training courses in order to keep their knowledge up to date and to prepare them for specific challenges.

Specially-commissioned case-officers

The Federal Office’s specially-commissioned case-officers are specially-trained decision-makers who are deployed in the interview procedure for particularly vulnerable groups of individuals. These include victims of violence, traumatised individuals, and people who have been subject to specific types of persecution. Along with the role which they play in processing applications, specially-commissioned case-officers are also at the disposal of their superiors and colleagues in order to ensure that the specific needs and challenges of these groups of individuals are appropriately met.