The German Foreign Office has apologised after causing offence with a joke about visa approval on social media.
When the hashtag "seduce someone in four words" was trending on Twitter, the government office posted with the response: "Your visa got approved."
But their contribution was swiftly deleted following a backlash.
The office has since apologised and said: "Being funny is apparently not always our strong suit."
It said it had deleted the post and added: "We know the visa process is complex, and visa decisions can deeply affect peoples‘ lives. Our colleagues take these decisions very seriously."
Those operating the profile were reminded of the gravitas of visa applications as people critiqued the attempt at humour.
One wrote: "People wait years for a visa, often for family reunion, medical treatment or working/studying.
"The process is often really hard and often humiliating for someone from a developing country. Seeing them joking about it is outright offensive."
Another said: "Playing on people’s feelings is inappropriate! There are thousands of people who’re waiting for their visas to get approved in order to come and get treatment, study etc."
The apology was welcomed by many others, though, one of whom said: "I take people's lives seriously. I can see how the original tweet would be upsetting and hurtful.
"Part of being an adult member of society is taking responsibility when your words-even unintentionally-cause harm. So is accepting a sincere apology."
