After the fall of the Assad regime, a number of European countries stopped providing asylum to Syrian citizens. Will Syrian refugees lose their status in Europe?
Since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, millions have fled their homes. The majority of them remained in Syria as internal migrants or went to the neighboring countries - Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. However, Europe also accepted many Syrians, and most chose Germany.
According to the data of the Federal Statistical Service at the end of 2023. there were 973,000 Syrians in Germany, of whom 712,000 sought temporary or permanent asylum. From the beginning of 2024 to the end of November, almost 75,000 Syrian citizens applied for asylum - the largest number of any migrant group. For nearly two-thirds - 47,270 - there is still no solution.
The situation for Syrians in Germany is already different
Most Syrians in Germany are men, with women making up only 41% of them. Their average age is significantly lower than that of those born in Germany - 25 years, and 37% are minors. Over 56 thousand are the children of Syrian refugees who were born in Germany in the period 2019-2024.
Only a day after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, however, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees suspended asylum procedures for Syrian citizens. This directly affects more than 47 thousand people who are waiting for one. Decisions already issued are unlikely to be affected.
Austria wants to deport Syrian refugees
Not only Germany, but also other European countries tightened their policies. Austria even announced a plan to deport Syrian refugees. "After the fall of the Assad regime, there is no longer any real reason to flee. There is a reason for the return of these people back to Syria," said Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer in an interview with ARD.
This measure affects 7,300 Syrians in Austria who are currently in the asylum procedure. However, Vienna wants to check the people who have a temporary status - whether there is a reason for its continuation. In addition, the reunification of separated families has been suspended, and the interior ministry has been tasked with drawing up a plan for "organized return and deportation to Syria".
There are currently around 100,000 Syrians living in Austria - one of the largest refugee communities in the Alpine country, ARD adds.
Sweden is in no hurry
The head of the Swedish Migration Agency's legal department, Karl Bexelius, explained that the situation in Syria is "unstable and recent events raise several legal questions that need to be analyzed in detail". Therefore, the Swedish authorities will suspend deportations until the political situation in Syria is clarified.
The leader of the far-right party "Sweden Democrats" Jimmy Akesson has already called for refugees to return to Syria. In 2015 and 2016 Sweden has received the second largest group of Syrian refugees in the EU after Germany.
Changes in Denmark, Norway, UK and Italy
The authorities in Denmark also said it was "suspending the processing of documents for persons from Syria due to the uncertain situation in the country after the fall of the Assad regime". So far, this affects 69 cases.
Denmark is known for its strict asylum policy. In the middle of 2020 it became the first EU country to start reviewing the statuses of hundreds of Syrian refugees. The reason given by the authorities at the time was that the situation in Damascus no longer justified the issuance of a residence permit. However, there were no deportations then.
Norway announced its decision to "cancel asylum applications from Syrian citizens until further notice". Since the beginning of the year, 1,933 such have been filed in Norway.
Britain and Italy are also temporarily suspending asylum procedures for Syrians. In Rome, Georgia Meloni's cabinet met to discuss the new situation in Syria, and in London, a British Home Office spokesman announced that asylum decisions for Syrians were on hold "while we review the current situation".
France is "working on it"
The French Ministry of the Interior announced that it was "working to suspend the current asylum procedures from Syria". According to data from the French Office for Refugees OFPRA, more than 4,000 applications for asylum by Syrian citizens have been submitted in the country this year. The country is also an important transit destination for refugees crossing the English Channel on their way to the UK.
Greece: an end to the refugee flow
Greece, through which many people from Syria travel to central Europe, has expressed hope that they can now return home where they feel "safe". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said the fall of Assad should lead to "peace in the country and a harmonious transfer of power to a legitimate democratic government". Athens' hopes for "stopping the flow of refugees from Syria" are also connected with this.