Deportation of 279 Syrians from Austria in 3 months and 40 departures per day
Recent official data revealed a remarkable shift in the asylum and migration file in Austria, as the number of deportations and departures exceeded the number of new asylum applications during the first quarter of 2026, at a time when Syrians topped the list of nationalities most affected by the procedures, according to the Austrian news agency APA.
According to figures released by the Federal Office for Aliens and Asylum, a total of 3,575 people left Austria between January and March 2026, including 1,882 cases of forced deportation, compared to 1,693 cases of voluntary departure, reflecting a clear tightening of the repatriation policy.
In contrast, only 1,074 new asylum applications were registered during the same period, which Interior Minister Gerhard Karner cited as evidence of "the success of measures taken to curb irregular migration", noting that the rate of departure reached around 40 people per day from illegal residents.
The data shows that a large proportion of those deported were people with criminal records, accounting for about 46 percent of all cases, while 224 deportations were carried out under the so-called Dublin procedure, which repatriates asylum seekers to the European country from which they first entered.
In terms of nationalities, several countries were among the deportees, including Afghanistan, Algeria and Russia, but Syrians were among the most notably affected, with 279 Syrians deported during the first three months of the year, in addition to 1,117 Syrians who left Austria voluntarily with the support of the authorities.
This figure is a significant increase compared to previous years, as the number of Syrians who returned to their country before 2024 did not exceed only about 200 people, which indicates a clear acceleration in the pace of repatriation of Syrians, especially after the political changes in Syria at the end of 2024.
The suspension of the family reunification program has played a key role in reducing the number of arrivals, with only 25 entries recorded through this route during the first quarter of 2026, compared to 401 cases in the same period last year, with the government moving to impose a strict quota system on this category in the future.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed that these measures come as part of a broader plan aimed at reducing the number of irregular migrants to the lowest possible level, through a combination of deportation, tightening of the law, and restriction of entry routes, especially with regard to the file of asylum and family reunification.
These figures reflect a clear shift in Austria's migration policy, with a greater focus on repatriating foreigners, especially Syrians, whether through forced deportation or voluntary repatriation programmes.