Asylum Applications in Austria Declining: Most Significant in October

The 1,293 submitted applications represent a decrease of 49 percent compared to October 2024. Overall, there were 14,325 applications in the first ten months, according to the Ministry of the Interior's statistics, which corresponds to a decline of about one-third.

In October, most applications came from Syrians. Of their 359 applications, the majority were for children born in Austria (220). In any case, young people continue to represent the largest group of asylum seekers. In the first ten months, almost one-third of the applications came from individuals under seven years old. More than half of the asylum seekers were minors.

Family Reunification Almost Come to a Standstill

Family reunification has almost come to a standstill since it has been restricted except for exceptional cases. In October, according to the Ministry of the Interior, there were only nine entries under this title. In the same month of the previous year, there were still 384.

Nevertheless, the FPÖ criticizes: By October, according to a response to an inquiry, a total of 921 applications for family reunification had already been granted this year, said Member of Parliament Harald Schuh in a statement. Nearly 60 percent concerned Afghans and Syrians. "That alone is far more than the handful whose deportation the failed ÖVP Minister of the Interior celebrated!" Therefore, there can be no talk of the much-announced stop to family reunification - which the Ministry of the Interior rejects. Since the regulation on family reunification came into force in July, only ten people have been allowed to enter on this legal basis during the inquiry period. This concerns, for example, children whose only relatives live in Austria.

Currently, citizens from Afghanistan have very good chances of obtaining asylum, although recently men have been deported back to the country governed by the radical Islamic Taliban. 75 percent of Afghan applications were approved. In contrast, Syrians currently have rather poor prospects. Only 21 percent of applications resulted in the granting of asylum status.

10,000 Times Protection Status Granted

In total, protection status has been granted just over 10,000 times so far this year. The majority of positively processed applications, nearly 7,200, concerned asylum. Subsidiary protection was granted almost 1,800 times. The rest are humanitarian residence permits. A factor this year is that Afghan women now find it easier to obtain asylum following a European Court of Justice ruling, and therefore have often moved from subsidiary protection to asylum status. Thus, this year, among the recognized citizens of Afghanistan, more than half were women.

Meanwhile, there is a relaxation in basic care. Currently, 54,702 people are being cared for, of which over 30,000 are war refugees from Ukraine. At the beginning of 2023, there were still nearly 93,000 people in basic care, and at the beginning of this year, there were over 68,000 people.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) is taking a positive view. By now, the smuggler mafia would avoid Austria, he stated in a written statement. To ensure this remains the case in the future, border protection must also be further developed technically and tactically. The goal is clear, to push illegal migration towards zero.

(APA/Red)

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