A sharp decline in asylum applications from Syrians in Austria, with Afghanistan topping the list.
Austria witnessed a significant decrease in asylum applications from Syrians in January 2025, with only 618 applications submitted compared to 1,393 applications in the same month of 2024. This decline comes amid a relative stabilization of conditions in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, along with the Austrian Ministry of the Interior suspending the processing of asylum applications from Syrians until the political situation there becomes clearer.
For the first time in a long while, Afghans topped the list of asylum seekers in Austria with 629 applications, although only 199 of them applied for the first time, while others with temporary protection status resubmitted their applications amid speculation about the possibility of increased deportations to Afghanistan.
On the European level, the number of asylum applications decreased by 24% compared to 2024, with 62,216 applications recorded in January. In Austria, Russia ranked third with 75 applications. Statistics also showed that the chances of Syrians obtaining asylum are currently low, with only 12 applications accepted, compared to 297 applications for Afghans and 36 applications for Somalis. There was also a slight decrease in the number of refugees in reception centers, with the number of beneficiaries of basic care dropping to around 67,500 people by February, a decrease of 700 people compared to January.