Syrian refugees in Austria: Return and asylum on the brink!

Syrian refugees in Austria: Return and asylum on the brink!

The situation for Syrian refugees in Austria and Germany remains tense, especially in the course of current developments after the fall of the Assad regime. According to vienna.at in January 2025 only 618 Syrian citizens in Austria asylum, a lot compared to 1,393 in the previous year. The Austrian Ministry of the Interior has suspended the processing of ongoing asylum procedures, as Minister Karner emphasizes that Syria needs its citizens back to be rebuilt. Syrians, who voluntarily return to their homeland, receive up to 1,000 euros, but lose their protection status.

asylum decisions in Germany stopped

In Germany, this reluctant attitude also affects the Syrians. The Tagesschau reported that a total of 974,136 people of Syrian origin lived in Germany by the end of October 2024, with most of them registered as refugees. Due to the unclear security situation in Syria, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) temporarily stopped all decisions about Syrians asylum. Over 47,000 asylum applications are currently pending. A return program is already being discussed, including Jens Spahn (CDU), who wants to promote the active return of Syrians from Germany.

The situation is also relevant to the labor market with regard to the integration of the Syrian refugees. Around 210,000 Syrians are currently employed, while around 250,000 are registered as a job search. These figures illustrate how crucial the Syrian refugees are for the German labor market. The return of Syrian specialists could have an impact on various industries, including health care, where Syrian doctors play a valuable role. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the developments in Syria will affect the refugees' willingness to return.