Germany & Austria Stop Processing Asylum Applications Filed by Syrians

Representatives of the German and Austrian governments have announced that their respective countries will no longer process asylum applications filed by Syrian nationals due to recent political developments.

Hundreds of Syrian refugees are returning to their homes after the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government; despite being perceived as positive among Syrians, the EU authorities point out the close ties between the rebels who have won and the Taliban in Afghanistan, which is viewed as concerning for the EU national security, Schengen.News reports.

Due to Syria’s political future, which is considered ‘uncertain’ by a spokesperson of Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, a total of 47,270 applications will not be processed. Those who have already been decided on will not be impacted by the measure, as the local authorities have confirmed.

Austria Freezes 7,300 Asylum Applications Filed by Syrian Refugees

The Austrian Interior Minister, who is led by Gerhard Karner, has confirmed that the authorities will not process a total of 7,300 asylum applications filed by Syrian nationals.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer today instructed Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to suspend all current Syrian asylum applications and to review all cases in which asylum was granted.

Rebels have seized Damascus after 13 years of civil war in Syria, while President Assad has fled to Russia. During this period, millions of Syrians had to leave the country, many of them relocating to Central Europe, especially Germany. It is estimated that Syrian refugees are the number one nationality group to seek asylum in the EU the most throughout the years.

The Austrian Interior Minister also pointed out that he had taken measures to address the new changes but had not elaborated in further detail.

I have instructed the Ministry to prepare a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria. 

German Govt Receives Public Backlash for Its Stances Regarding Syrian Refugees

Lamya Kaddor, a member of Germany’s Green Party, has expressed that she is shocked how it is being called for deportations of Syrians, highlighting that this can impact many German Syrians as well.

I think that’s more than cynical and, to be honest, populist. And it misses the point of the lives of many German-Syrians and people who come from this region. 

According to data from the European Union Agency for Asylum, there were 13,634 first-time applications for asylum filed by Syrian nationals in August of 2024, while the total number of applications by this time had reached 14,045.

Germany received 48 per cent of Syria’s applications, which represents a total of 6,753, while Austria received 739 or five per cent of the total.