A German member of parliament has called on the German government to take in migrants directly from the Belarus border. Her calls are echoed by many of those stuck there. Meanwhile, Poland is holding up EU attempts to find a solution.
In December, the Home Office sent a rejection letter to a Syrian asylum seeker, saying it was safe for him to return. That would have been first case of its kind in the UK. Now, authorities appear to have backtracked.
Going forward, Germany will allow Afghan asylum seekers to pursue language and integration classes even before a decision is granted on their applications. The change in law came as government assessments showed that refugees from Afghanistan are likely to be allowed to remain in Germany for the time being.
Germany's Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration Reem Alabali-Radovan said that she does not want to treated as a token example of successful integration efforts in Germany. Instead, she wants to keep a dialogue open between the government and migrant communities.
In recent months many migrants crossing the border from Belarus to Poland have made it clear that their goal is Germany. They don't want to stay in Poland, where a large number of migrants are being held out of sight in an isolated, closed facility.