Berlin [Germany] October 17 (ANI/Sputnik): Germany remains the most popular European destination for migrants, with more than 100,000 asylum bids recorded for nine years in a row, media said Sunday.

The federal migration office received 100,278 requests from first-time seekers as of late September, which saw the second-highest monthly tally since 2017, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper said.

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France came far behind with 54,105 asylum applications fielded between January and September of this year, followed by Spain with 41,799 requests, Italy with 37,492 requests and Austria with 22,928 requests.

The migrant flow from Belarus has added to the strain in recent months. The federal police told the paper that 4,900 people tried to cross over illegally from Poland since August.

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Most of those coming to Germany from Belarus are Syrians but also Iraqis and more recently Pakistanis, Egyptians and Jordanians. Germany cannot bolster security on the Polish border as any limits would breach the EU's freedom of movement rules. (ANI/Sputnik)

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