Big Change in Asylum Numbers in Austria

After the conclusion of the third quarter, it is evident that the decline in asylum numbers remains consistently stable this year. In the first nine months, there were 13,032 applications. This is 32 percent less than the previous year. Across Europe, the decline was only 19 percent. Notably, the proportion of female asylum seekers, as in 2024, is higher than in previous years. More than half of the refugees are not older than 18. Meanwhile, 662 Syrians have voluntarily left the country.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, the Ministry of the Interior has initiated more than 8,450 revocation procedures, with individuals holding valid residence rights and integration through work or education not being affected. Additionally, voluntary return with appropriate counseling has been intensified. According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 1,350 such consultations have been conducted by the Federal Care Agency so far. Financial support of up to 1,000 euros is also offered.
Many Asylum Applications from Afghans
In September, most asylum applicants still came from Syria (354), with the majority of them, according to the Ministry of the Interior, being children born in Austria (197). Overall, however, Afghans are the nation with the most applications this year. 4,249 people from the country governed by the radical Islamic Taliban sought asylum.
Nearly 4,000 Afghans have received this status so far in 2025. While their recognition rate was 76 percent this year, it was only 20 percent for Syrians. Applications from Syrians have only been processed in exceptional cases since the change of power in Damascus. Overall, in the first nine months, a protection status was granted in 8,860 cases, of which over 6,500 were asylum. The rest falls under subsidiary protection or a humanitarian residence permit.
Proportion of Women Climbed Up
The structure of asylum seekers has changed. Two years ago, only about 24 percent of applicants were female, but last year and this year significantly more, namely 42 percent. This is also due to an effect from an eased asylum access for Afghan women. Many who previously had subsidiary protection therefore applied for asylum. Among the asylum seekers, many young people remain unchanged. 50.8 percent of the applicants are 18 or younger.
Of the 10,463 deportations by the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, 5,516 departures (53 percent) were voluntary, 4,947 (47 percent) were forced. Among those deported, 50 percent of the individuals had criminal convictions.
Over 55,000 in Basic Care
Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) promotes in a written statement primarily the deportations of refugees who have committed crimes: "Deportations to Syria and Afghanistan must become standard." He advocates for zero tolerance towards those who want to exploit Austria's willingness to help. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) stated that the path taken to push illegal migration towards zero through a bundle of measures is showing effect.
The situation in basic care is also slowly relaxing. Currently, there are 55,172 people in it. More than 30,000 are displaced persons from Ukraine. This year alone, the number of people in basic care has decreased by 13,000.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.
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