> asylum applications to EU/EFTA/EEA countries because with asylum you have to work a shitty job for a while to prove you can integrate
Which countries are those? While the UK was an EU member, it required that asylum applicants not work, and I believe that's not an unusual restriction.
Same in Germany, but our immigration system is pretty ridiculous in general. It's all based on the idea that refugees don't want to live in the country and only stay here until things have calmed down, and that immigrants either really are Germans in exile or only come here to work for a while and then leave. I'm not sure whether to call it xenophobic or simply naïve, but the problem echoes throughout German bureaucracy as well as many people's attitudes.
Somehow the idea that someone who flees to Germany because they lost their home and livelihood and then lives her for a decade may want to go on living here and that barring people from being productive members of society guarantees crime and illegal work. Germany learned nothing from the surprise of "guest workers" from Turkey and Italy moving to Germany to help us build cars suddenly having families and staying here forever back in the 70s.
Other way round, they want to disincentive people who want to come and live and work in Germany from applying on the grounds of seeking asylum.
Assessing an asylum application is an lengthy, arduous process, there are plenty of people who would take the chance.
So what you're saying is that if Germany were more efficient at handling asylum applications, we wouldn't need to prohibit refugees from taking jobs? I can understand not allowing asylum seekers to take a job because their application is still being processed but once they're granted refugee status, we've determined that they have some other reason for seeking asylum than trying to find a job, right?
Of course arguably the slowness and arduousness of the process is intended as a deterrence in itself, regardless of what that says about Germany's ideas about human rights and how they apply to foreigners.
No, the inability to work is still a disincentive from wrongfully claiming refugee status.
If you were able to apply for refugee status whilst working, there's literally tens of millions of people that would gladly try their luck in going to Germany. If they get kicked out, hey-ho we tried and atleast we got to briefly work and probably saved a ton (relatively speaking).
Edit: I'm in Europe now, my former domestic worker would earn her monthly salary in 2-3 days here and she was paid well relative to others in Africa.
Which countries are those? While the UK was an EU member, it required that asylum applicants not work, and I believe that's not an unusual restriction.