Up to 300,000 refugees expected in Germany

Germany is expecting up to 300,000 refugees to arrive in the country this year, the head of its migration department says.

Germany's migration department says up to 300,000 migrants will arrive in the country this year. (AAP)

The head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has told a German newspaper he expects a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year.

"We're preparing for 250,000 to 300,000 refugees this year," BAMF head Frank-Juergen Weise told Bild am Sonntag newspaper in comments due to be published on Sunday.

He added that if more people were to come, his office would come under pressure but suggested he was not worried about such a scenario, saying it was instead likely that fewer than 300,000 would come this year.

Germans tend to use the word "refugee" to refer to both refugees and migrants who are seeking protection but do not have refugee status.