Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet has classified Moldova and Georgia as so-called “safe countries of origin,” meaning asylum-seekers from there can be rejected and deported faster than in the past.

Germany's population has contracted slightly for the first time in nearly a decade because immigration shrank as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, official data showed Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file)BERLIN – Germany’s population has contracted slightly for the first time in nearly a decade because immigration shrank as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, official data showed Tuesday. The statistics office pointed to a sharp decline in net immigration starting in March, when the pandemic hit Europe, and lasting through May — a period that accounted for a population decline of 59,000. Preliminary figures showed net immigration of 74,000 in the year's first half, compared with 167,000 a year earlier. The statistics office said delayed registration of new arrivals and departures because of office shutdowns may also play a part in the figures.