German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Ankara this week with a blunt message for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Berlin wants Turkey to take back more of its own nationals whose asylum applications have been rejected in Germany. According to government sources quoted by AFP, 22,560 Turkish citizens currently have final removal orders, yet deportations reached only 1,614 in the first nine months of 2025. Merz aims to secure administrative tweaks that would let German charter flights land and transfer deportees more quickly, mirroring recent arrangements with Georgia and Moldova.
The trip underscores the new conservative-led coalition’s tougher posture on irregular migration. Since taking office in May, Merz has re-introduced stationary border controls, resumed returns to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and tightened fast-track citizenship rules. His cabinet argues that visible enforcement is needed to preserve public support for Germany’s skilled-worker immigration agenda.
Turkish cooperation is pivotal: Turkey remains the single largest nationality among people required to leave Germany, and Ankara’s role as gatekeeper on the Balkan route gives it leverage in broader EU migration talks. In return, Berlin is expected to offer funding for reintegration programmes and possibly faster business-visa processing for compliant Turkish companies.
For employers, a faster removal pipeline could indirectly lengthen work-permit processing times if immigration offices divert staff to deportation logistics. Companies with Turkish assignees should monitor policy signals from the Ankara visit and ensure documentation is watertight to avoid accidental entanglement in stepped-up checks.
Human-rights groups have warned against mass returns to Turkey without robust safeguards, citing recent crackdowns on opposition figures (see separate story). Merz’s delegation insists that individual case reviews will continue but says “credible return prospects” are essential to deter unauthorised arrivals.
The trip underscores the new conservative-led coalition’s tougher posture on irregular migration. Since taking office in May, Merz has re-introduced stationary border controls, resumed returns to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and tightened fast-track citizenship rules. His cabinet argues that visible enforcement is needed to preserve public support for Germany’s skilled-worker immigration agenda.
Turkish cooperation is pivotal: Turkey remains the single largest nationality among people required to leave Germany, and Ankara’s role as gatekeeper on the Balkan route gives it leverage in broader EU migration talks. In return, Berlin is expected to offer funding for reintegration programmes and possibly faster business-visa processing for compliant Turkish companies.
For employers, a faster removal pipeline could indirectly lengthen work-permit processing times if immigration offices divert staff to deportation logistics. Companies with Turkish assignees should monitor policy signals from the Ankara visit and ensure documentation is watertight to avoid accidental entanglement in stepped-up checks.
Human-rights groups have warned against mass returns to Turkey without robust safeguards, citing recent crackdowns on opposition figures (see separate story). Merz’s delegation insists that individual case reviews will continue but says “credible return prospects” are essential to deter unauthorised arrivals.
