Austria’s Right-Wing Interior Minister Pushes Asylum Applicants Back to 2010 Levels

For the right-wing party of the FPÖ currently governing alongside the ÖVP it is a big success. Austrian tabloid Wochenblick reports, that in the first 8 months of 2018, exactly 9,337 asylum applications were made.

That is a 46.3 per cent decrease from last year. During 2010 more than 11,000 people applied for asylum in Austria.

Syrians are still the largest group seeking asylum in Austria with 2,351, followed by Afghans with 1,400 and Iranians with 723. Iranians are the only group, whose asylum applications have increased by a total of 20 per cent.

The total number of asylum seekers on social benefits recipients has also decreased from over 60.000 to 48.640. Afghans are the largest group of asylum seekers on benefits. Their applications also take the longest time to process. Around 53 per cent receive a positive asylum decision.

Herbert Kickl is satisfied with these developments in Austria and pushes for faster processing and deportation procedures: “There should not be any enticements to help traffickers and their business to lure even more people to Europe.”