Study Visas in Germany Up by 43% in the Last 4 Years

Germany is establishing itself as a destination for international students, as the number of visas granted for study purposes in the last four years has increased by almost 43 per cent.

According to the data published by the German Interior Ministry, about 63,000 visas were issued for study purposes in 2021. Three years later, in 2024, the authorities granted a total of 90,000 study visas, Schengen.News reports. 

Data regarding visa numbers, including here study visas, work visas and asylum applications, were disclosed also during a presentation by the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, who revealed that Germany has marked success across three areas; strengthening the immigration workers and skilled workers, combating human smuggling and curbing irregular migration. 

The Minister pointed out that Germany remains a country of immigration, with these comments following months-long speeches of candidates standing against immigration, with remarks being made during the campaigns ahead of German elections, held in February. 

Germany: More Work & Study Visas, Fewer Asylum Approvals in Past 4 Years 
The number of work visas, same as study visas has been on an upward trend between 2021 and 2024. While study visas were up by 43 per cent during the four-year period, the number of German work visas increased by 77.3 per cent in 2024– from 97,000 recorded in 2021 to 172,000. 

On the other hand, German authorities approved significantly fewer asylum applications in recent years. The data reveals that the number of asylum applications was down by 34.2 per cent on a year-on-year basis. 

The preliminary data, including numbers recorded between January and March of 2025, revealed that 33,157 asylum applications were filed. That is 37 per cent down compared to the first quarter of 2024. The same goes for first-time asylum applications, with the number dropping by 43 per cent in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. 

New Measures Aim at Improving the Chances of Immigration to Germany 
The new measures that the German government has taken aim at improving immigration to Germany at different stages. For example, the authorities have taken into account that language skills can impact someone’s life in the country. 

For this reason, integration courses have been expanded to include those still in the asylum process. In addition, language training and counselling services for refugees from Ukraine have been offered early in their integration process. 

The Skilled Immigration Act, one of Germany’s most robust projects that aims to attract foreign workers, has been modified to give professional experience priority while citizenship law has been changed to facilitate the process for those who lived in Germany for a long time to become German citizens. However, those with anti-democratic and controversial beliefs risk losing their chances of obtaining German citizenship. 

Source: https://schengen.news/study-visas-in-germany-up-by-43-in-the-last-4-years/