“The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees [BAMF] decided not to look into decisions for Syrian asylum seekers for the time being,” Lioba Hebauer, spokesperson for the German migration office told Rudaw.
Syria continues to grapple with instability and insecurity, as recent escalations have displaced thousands. The country, ravaged by a civil war that began in 2011 following uprisings against the now-dethroned Bashar al-Assad, has seen hundreds of thousands killed and millions left in need of humanitarian assistance.
Amid the Syrian civil war, thousands of Syrians have sought refuge in Europe, especially Germany, seeking safety and a new life, with the influx reshaping migration policies and sparking debates across the continent over the years.
Hebauer said that they will closely monitor the situation in Syria, adding that, “Based on the current state and the unpredictable development, however, there can be no final decisions made about the outcome of an application for asylum.”
The spokesperson said that they “review and adapt its decision-making practices” as the situation plays out.
The Austrian interior ministry has also stopped processing applications of Syrian asylum seekers.
"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," the Austrian interior ministry said in a statement.
According to a 2023 report from the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 12 million people have been displaced from Syria across the region.
“We will support all Syrians who have found refuge in Austria and want to return to their homeland. The security situation in Syria must also be reassessed in order to make deportations possible again in the future,” Austrian Chancellor Nehammer said on Sunday in a post on X.
Danish refugee agency on Monday also halted Syrian asylum cases.
Also on Monday, the Swedish migration agency announced they “will make a decision to pause decision-making in Syrian asylum cases” which will not be enforced until further notice.
Jimmie Akesson, the leader of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats on Sunday said that “destructive Islamist forces are behind the change of power” in Syria.
Akesson said that he will advocate for “tighter ID checks” and “to strengthen the Swedish border in the event of a potential wave of refugees.”
“New situations also require new assessments. Therefore, it is important that the residence permits are reviewed for the individuals who have chosen to move from Syria to Sweden,” he said.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern city of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and culminating their victory by capturing the capital Damascus as rebels said Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani on Sunday ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions would remain under the supervision of Syrian regime Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
