German authorities have detained two employees of Hamburg’s Foreigners’ Office on suspicion of receiving payment in exchange for granting residency permits. Suspicions that the authorities were engaging in bribery and were awarding permits without verifying that the candidates fulfilled the requirements led to the arrests. After an arrest warrant was issued on February 9, the arrest was formally reported by Hamburg’s law and order authorities on February 12.

The public prosecutor announced that eight people who received residency permits illegally are the subject of a bribery investigation that has been launched. The investigation, which started in September 2022, was prompted by a claim that someone reported via the Department for Internal Investigations portal in Hamburg using a whistleblower method for corruption.

With 538,690 residence permits issued in 2022, Germany ranked second in Europe for the most permits issued overall (15.5% of all permits issued in the EU). Among all the licenses, those connected to family accounted for 188,364 or 35%, while those related to education drew 70,072 permits, or 13% of the total. With 81,795 permits relating to employment, or 15.2% of all permits, Germany is a desirable country for career progression and professional prospects.

Six of the top 10 nations had their residence permits issued by Germany in 2022, with Indians obtaining 183,237 first-time licenses throughout the EU, including 35,811 in Germany alone. Syria came in second with 143,365 EU permits, 91,703 of which were granted in Germany, making up almost 64% of all permits given in Syria. In total, Turkey was awarded 113,914 permits, of which 31,487 were issued in Germany. With 112,197 initial residence permits in the EU, including 16,006 in Germany, Russia achieved a noteworthy standing.