The German government has supported a new program for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, which will start in January 2024. According to the German Interior Ministry, 40 Syrians have already taken advantage of this opportunity as of February 16.
The program, initiated by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (FOMR), offers financial assistance to Syrians who wish to return to their homeland. It covers travel costs and provides funds for their new start in Syria after the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Families can receive a one-time payment of 4,000 euros, while individuals – up to 1,000 euros.
At the same time, Syria was reinstated on the German list of countries for which voluntary return programs are offered, and the federal states are also offering their own options to support migrants who want to return to their homeland.
In 2024, 85 people who voluntarily returned to Syria were supported under these programs. Since the beginning of the year, eight people have already benefited from them, the Interior Ministry reported.
In total, with those included in the new federal program, which started in January, the number of Syrians who have voluntarily left Germany now stands at 133. These figures reflect cases in which applications for reimbursement have been submitted, but do not include all Syrians who have left the country.
Some 975,000 Syrians currently live in Germany, most of whom fled their homeland due to the civil war that began in 2011.