Information regarding refugee applicants from communist countries, the protection available to them in the FRG, and the activities of foreign agents in the FRG
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | DEU2371 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Information regarding refugee applicants from communist countries, the protection available to them in the FRG, and the activities of foreign agents in the FRG, 1 October 1989, DEU2371, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aca870.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to one report, in 1988, about 240,000 ethnic Germans from the East Bloc were allowed to emigrate to the FRG. Though the government considers them to be Germans, because their knowledge of the language is often minimal and because of cultural differences, many West Germans consider them to be foreigners. In this respect, they are subject to the same negative attitude that the population holds towards other immigrants. According to this report, describing this attitude as xenophobia is "an understatement." [ John Dornberg, "West Germany hit by backlash at immigrants," The Toronto Star, 2 April 1989, p. A27.]
Copyright notice: This document is published with the permission of the copyright holder and producer Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/. Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld.