Asylum Applications from Syrians Significantly Decreased After Assad's Fall
In January, for the first time in many months, Syrians were not the group with the most applications, but rather Afghans. A total of 618 asylum applications were submitted by Syrians, compared to 1,393 in the same month in 2024.
Asylum Applications Decrease Significantly
A total of 1,918 applications were submitted in January. This is significantly fewer than the previous year, when 2,287 applications were filed in the first month of the year. In January 2023, there were still 4,288. Across Europe, 62,216 asylum applications were filed in January. This is 24 percent or 19,256 fewer applications than in the same period in 2024 (81,472).
Afghans Lead in Asylum Applications
The largest group in Austria this time were Afghans with 629 applications. However, a special effect must be considered for these. Only 199 people applied for the first time. The rest are individuals who have temporary (subsidiary) protection in Austria but have submitted a new asylum application. This could be due, among other things, to discussions by the Ministry of the Interior in Kabul, which may increase the chances of people being deported back to Afghanistan. Apart from Syrians, only the application numbers for Syrians were in the triple digits. In third place are citizens of the Russian Federation with 75 applications.
Only Twelve Asylum Applications from Syrians Approved
The fact that the chances for Syrians to obtain asylum status are currently low can also be seen from the monthly statistics. Only twelve applications were approved. In comparison: Afghans were granted asylum 297 times, and Somalis at least 36 times. In total, there were 627 grants of asylum, subsidiary protection, and humanitarian residence combined in January. The occupancy of basic care is also slightly declining. As of February 1, just under 67,500 were included, a decrease of about 700 people compared to January.
(APA/Red)
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