At a conference of the German Interior
Ministers on 12 June 2014, it was decided to extend the Humanitarian Admission
Programme (HAP) for Syrian refugees by an additional 10,000 places. Germany
previously committed to providing 10,000 places for Syrian refugees under this
same programme in 2013 and 2014, now bringing its commitment to receive 20,000
Syrians in total. In addition, fifteen federal states in Germany have launched
individual sponsorship programmes for Syrian nationals with relatives in
Germany. To date, some 5,500 visas have been issued under this scheme, while
some 6,000 have arrived under the HAP.
