Germany rejects hundreds of Chinese research and student visas

Germany is rejecting a significantly higher number of research and student visa applications from China compared to other nations, according to investigations by WDR, NDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung. In the past year, the Federal Foreign Office rejected approximately 200 applications from post-doctoral researchers and roughly 200 from regular students.

The denials are particularly concentrated in strategic fields identified in China’s five-year plan, including aerospace, automation technology, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum research, precision engineering, and military technology. Authorities have increasingly involved security agencies, such as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), in the screening process.

Concerns regarding scientific espionage are a primary driver for this stricter scrutiny. Officials point to China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law, which mandates that Chinese citizens cooperate with state intelligence services upon request. While the Federal Foreign Office declined to comment on specific rejection rates to protect international relations, characterizing them as individual case decisions, the trend reflects a heightened focus on protecting sensitive German research and technology.