In autumn 2015, people arriving in Germany waited in long lines at refugee registration facilities in Berlin. Field reporting accompanied by a Reuters photograph recorded an applicant's complaint that registered and unregistered people were not separated, and showed a boy sleeping outside the office. Buses brought groups from reception centres to a limited number of registration desks.
What distinguishes this queue is that a person's legal position after seeking protection depended on reaching the registration counter. Even after fleeing war, another wait stood at the entrance to accommodation and assistance. It should be recorded not as a sentimental story of welcome, but as evidence that reception capacity was insufficient.