The current asylum figures show why the change of power in Damascus could have a strong impact on the Austrian asylum system. This year, up to the end of November, 12,871 applications were made by Syrians. Thus, citizens of this country make up more than half of the asylum seekers. In November, the numbers for Syrians, as well as overall, declined. This continues the trend of the year so far.

This Year Nearly 13,000 Asylum Applications from Syrians

In any case, Syrians have become the strongest asylum-seeking nation in Austria over the past decade due to the ongoing conflicts in the country. According to the current asylum statistics of the Ministry of the Interior, 122,142 asylum applications from Syrians have been made since 2015 up to and including November of this year. Only Afghans with 94,653 applications come close to them in this period. In basic care, which continues to be dominated by displaced people from Ukraine, they are clearly the largest group of refugees from outside Europe with 22 percent.

Nearly 12,000 asylum applications from Syrians were positively decided this year with a recognition rate of 68 percent. In addition, there was subsidiary protection in almost 5,200 cases.

In November, however, the number of applications declined. 737 Syrians applied for asylum, the weakest monthly value in 2024. However, the total number of applications also declined, not unusual for the approaching winter. With 1,838, it was significantly below the 2,459 applications from October.

Majority of Asylum Applications from Men

This year there were a total of 23,114 applications. This is a decrease of 59 percent compared to the same period in 2023. In Europe as a whole, the number of applications only fell by twelve percent. Poland and Ireland in particular, but also Greece and Italy, even recorded increases.

Family reunification is no longer a major issue, which is also reflected in the gender distribution of the applicants. While this was almost balanced in the spring, the majority of applications now clearly come from men again. In November, it was 63 percent. While there were still 2,183 entry applications for family reunification in January, there were only 294 in November.

Sharp Decline in Apprehensions in Burgenland

The Ministry of the Interior claims the decline in asylum numbers, especially at border crossings in Burgenland, for itself. Reasons include the massive border point and border area controls by the police. In Burgenland, in the first eleven months, there were 4,321 apprehensions after an illegal border crossing - compared to 29,678 apprehensions in the same period in 2023, and 76,072 the year before.

(APA/Red)

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