#OfficialPerspective: Denise Gräfe from the Dresden Immigration Office sees the lack of technical equipment as the core problem.

In the series “Perspective of the Immigration Office ( #AuthorityPerspective) ”, we give the immigration office a voice. Often, in immigration law, there's a perception that authorities act unlawfully and erroneously due to personal motives, racist prejudices, or simply arbitrariness. While these cases certainly do occur in practice, it's often overlooked that this isn't necessarily a structural problem and that immigration offices face significant challenges. Limited budgets, difficulties in recruiting staff, frequent legislative changes, and a highly resistant legal profession make their work considerably more difficult. The resulting conflicts and problems aren't necessarily always the responsibility of the immigration office.

With the series “Perspective of the Immigration Office,” we aim to shed light on the practical challenges of administrative law, thereby contributing to constructive public discourse. In the second episode of the series, we review the key statements made by Denise Gräfe, Head of the Immigration and Citizenship Office of the City of Dresden, in Stephanie Tonn's podcast “Administration Works” (Episode 2: “ Constantly Under Pressure ”). The exchange between the two illuminates the daily reality of the German migration administration and immigration office in Dresden – including the challenges, structural shortcomings, and opportunities that are of paramount importance, especially for international professionals and businesses.

Key challenges facing the Dresden immigration office

In episode 2 of her podcast "Administration in Action," Stephanie Tonn, a fully qualified lawyer and expert in immigration law, speaks with Denise Gräfe, head of the Dresden Immigration and Citizenship Office . Ms. Gräfe is responsible for approximately 144 employees at the Dresden Immigration Office and for all residency and citizenship-related decisions in the state capital. The conversation offers in-depth insights into the workings of the Dresden Immigration Office, its integration with the Dresden Citizenship Office, personnel management, the shortage of skilled workers, gaps in digitalization, the importance of good teamwork, and the question of what a modern welcome authority should look like. Particular attention is paid to digitalization as a core problem, because a lack of technology, malfunctioning interfaces, and the absence of a digital file system tie up enormous resources and increase processing times in practice.

#AuthorityPerspective - Lack of digitalization at the Dresden immigration office is the core problem

The central structural deficiency highlighted by Gräfe concerns the technical infrastructure. The city of Dresden lacks a digital file system in its immigration and citizenship office , even though this is standard practice in many municipalities. She vividly describes the consequences: files must be physically searched for, transported, and archived; interfaces are unreliable; security checks malfunction; digital applications cannot be processed technically; and, generally, there is a lack of a modern IT infrastructure that would accelerate administrative work and reduce error rates. A particularly critical issue is that the existing IT resources are insufficient to support new systems. Technical modernization has so far failed due to a lack of funding and unfilled IT positions.

Gräfe clearly states that a modern migration administration is impossible without digital files and functioning specialized procedures. Digitization is not a "nice-to-have," but rather the essential foundation for efficiency, user-friendliness, and legal clarity. Automated workflows, digital transmissions, and standardized data structures would free up resources that are currently entirely tied up in paper-based processes. The department head makes it clear: A high-performing immigration authority can only exist if digital infrastructure is established and continuously maintained.

Skilled worker shortage and structural burdens at the Dresden Immigration Office

In addition to the technical shortcomings, Gräfe describes the strained staffing situation at the immigration offices. Despite increasing demand and growing responsibilities, the entire city administration is subject to austerity measures. While the Dresden immigration office is exempt from additional cuts, it can barely recruit new staff. Many positions are temporary, training periods are lengthy, and the workload already exceeds the available personnel. Furthermore, projects like the large-scale establishment of the semiconductor manufacturer TSMC are bringing hundreds of international specialists to Dresden – a situation the immigration office must manage with the same resources. This development significantly exacerbates the already heavy workload.

Gräfe explains that immigration office staff typically only have 15 to 30 minutes for appointments – too little time to provide comprehensive advice on more complex issues such as residency or naturalization . The stringent requirements of immigration law and the even more complex requirements of citizenship law make it impossible to offer in-depth guidance without additional resources. While raising staff awareness is important, structural limitations prevent comprehensive consultations. Furthermore, specialization is necessary because the complexity of the legal field hardly allows for generalist knowledge anymore.

Conclusion Opinion of the Dresden Immigration Office

The discussion makes it clear that the structural challenges facing the Dresden Immigration Office are representative of many German immigration authorities. A lack of digitalization, strained resources, complex legal applications, and high societal expectations collide with dedicated employees who fulfill their duties with a high degree of responsibility. The most important insight is that an efficient migration management system is inconceivable without digital modernization. Digitalization is the key lever for speed, transparency, efficiency, and user-friendliness. The perspective of the Dresden Immigration Office clearly demonstrates that Germany has considerable catching up to do in this area – and that the future viability of migration management depends significantly on whether this modernization push succeeds.

You might also be interested in:

• Even in Dresden, there are absurd waiting times for naturalization.

• Overview of authorities in the migration administration

• Website of the Dresden Immigration Offices (Naturalization Department)