Since the war in Ukraine started in February, more than 700.000 people came to seek shelter in Germany. For People with Ukrainian passports bureaucratic hurdles were reduced, fast asylum procedures enabled, and state aid guaranteed, so they could have a safe refuge in Germany.

Unfortunately, not all refugees  experience the same solidarity and help, which is an aspect that remains marginalized within media portrayals and society at large. Among those seeking refuge are thousands of international students from the global south,  who left their home countries to study in Ukraine and who are now equally affected by the war and its consequences. Yet, in addition to that, they face racial/structural discrimination as equal help is withheld from them in Germany. This is because, other than people with Ukrainian Passports,  they cannot receive protection in Germany under §24 of the Residence Act and are therefore directly threatened with deportation.  

For this reason, a group of students approached the AStA of the university in Kassel in March, after they have fled from Ukraine, seeking for support. Therefore,  just as the Tubman Network was founded in Berlin at the beginning of March, our work has also developed out of this concrete emergency, which has been caused due to a politics marked by racist double standards. Now, almost 4 months later, we are a group of allies who, together with the 17 students, are fighting for the recognition of their equal affection of the war.  Thus, in alliance with the students Coalition for equal rights, we demand equal inclusion for those without Ukrainian passports in § 24 AufenthG!  

But as the inclusion in 24 is not yet given we are forced to find alternative ways of enabling long-term prospects of staying. The main obstacle that we are currently facing is the residence permit, which is essential for basically everything.  Since the paragraph §24 AufenthG does not apply to international students/people without Ukrainian citizenship, at the moment it is the only possibility to apply "in the normal way" for a residence for the purpose of study (§16b AufenthG). For their approval, however, EACH PERSON is requested to proof financial reserves in the amount of € 10,332, which is completely unrealistic with regard to the exceptional situation in which the students find themselves, as financial reserves have been used up or lost due to the flight.

Therefore: Only with your help we have a chance to raise the required funds to apply for the Student visas, which we see as the only way to prevent eventual deportations,  as part of the racist migration policies in place.