Germany will make it faster and easier for critics of the Russian government to come and live in the country based on newly agreed criteria, an interior ministry spokesperson said.
Human rights activists, employees of NGOs and civil society groups with a connection to Germany and journalists and researchers who have taken a stance against the war in Ukraine are among those who qualify to stay in the longer term, said the spokesperson on Monday at a regular government news conference.
The spokesperson added that there was no reliable way to predict how many people this measure would affect.
The move aims to remove some of the red tape involved in Germany's visa process and guarantee a longer stay than the 90 days allowed under the Schengen tourist visa.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray and Rachel More; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
