Visa processing backlog in Iran: Please wait

Bad news for Iranians who want to study or work in Germany: They will have to wait even longer for their entry visas. This emerges from a new response from the federal government to a request from the Greens in the Bundestag.

The taz last reported on the situation at the German Embassy in Tehran at the end of August. Due to the security situation in the country, the representation in the Iranian capital has only been operating in emergency mode for months. Iranians with acceptance letters from German universities report that their visa applications are processed slowly. Therefore, they have to postpone or cancel their start of studies.

The Green MP Boris Mijatović then asked the Foreign Office about the current status. According to the answer, the ministry and embassy are “constantly” working on “expanding the acceptance and processing capacities for applicants”. However, the Foreign Office does not provide any details. There are also no plans to involve the German Embassy in Armenia in handling Iranian visa applications again, as was the case in the meantime: “A further expansion of application processing to other foreign missions is currently not planned.”

For now, the embassy in Tehran is setting priorities. For example, anyone who receives a scholarship from German public funds will get their visa more quickly. Others have to wait longer.

“The mere indication that we are working on expanding capacities does not help people,” says MP Mijatović. He points out that not only prospective students are affected, but also professionals such as doctors and pharmacists.

Germany is in danger of “losing its connection as an attractive place to work and train,” Mijatović continues, and calls on the federal government to “finally take concrete measures.” “Additional processing capacity and a reliable schedule for issuing visas help people, companies and institutions in Germany.”