Friedland's late resettler arrivals drop to historic lows in 2025
Friedland remains the only central reception and registration centre for late resettlers in Lower Saxony. In 2025, the facility processed 4,238 individuals, including over 1,000 from Kazakhstan. The numbers mark a sharp decline from previous decades, when tens of thousands arrived annually from the former Soviet states. During the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of late resettlers emigrated from Kazakhstan to Germany each year. At its peak, Friedland registered more than 38,000 Kazakh arrivals in a single year. However, the figures have steadily dropped over the past 15 years.
In 2025, only 1,079 individuals from Kazakhstan were recorded, alongside 2,562 from Russia, 381 from Ukraine, and 80 from Kyrgyzstan. That same year, authorities reviewed 6,209 applications for late resettler status, approving just 3,700. The decline follows stricter legal rules, such as the 1993 amendment to the Federal Expellees Act, which tightened eligibility after over 2 million people arrived between 1988 and 2005. Beyond legal changes, improved economic conditions and political stability in the successor states have reduced incentives for emigration. Friedland continues to serve as a hub for integration, offering language courses and orientation programmes to new arrivals.
The total number of late resettlers processed in Friedland has now fallen to a few thousand per year. With only 4,238 individuals registered in 2025, the trend reflects both policy shifts and changing circumstances in the countries of origin. The centre remains the key point of entry for those still arriving under the late resettler scheme.
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