The time it takes to process an asylum request in Germany increased to an average of 8.1 months by the end 2016, up from an average 5.2 months a year ago, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees reported. Somali, Turkish and Russian refugees had the longest processing times, about 14-17 months. On the other end, Syrian asylum seekers had to wait "as little as" 3.8 months for their decision. Older cases suffer long delays as well: 58,848 people had waited for more than 18 months by the end of 2016, up from 46,066 by the end of 2015.