Germany Blocks New Asylum Pleas from Syrian Nationals

Photo Credit: Freedom House

Migrants clamber onto a train at Gevgelija station in Macedonia, close to the border with Greece, July 30, 2015.

On December 9, one day after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) announced an immediate freeze on asylum applications from Syrian citizens, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. This decision affects 47,270 pending asylum cases, including some 46,000 preliminary applications. However, the BAMF insists the new situation in Syria does not currently influence ongoing cases.

According to DW, in 2024, Syria remained the leading country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, nearly 75,000 asylum applications from Syrians were submitted by November, followed by 34,300 from Afghanistan and approximately 29,600 from Turkey.

Knapp 1.000.000 Syrer befinden sich in Deutschland und genießen Asyl. Asyl = Schutz auf Zeit. Nach Befürwortung des Sturzes des Staatsoberhauptes Assad in Form von Aufmarschieren mit Parolen auf deutschen Straßen heißt das Zauberwort nun: ????????? ✈️ pic.twitter.com/JGOr3XU1a8

— Christopher Preußel (@PreusselAfD) December 9, 2024

By the end of 2023, approximately 973,000 Syrians were living in Germany. Of these, around 712,000 had been granted refugee status, including asylum seekers with pending applications and those whose applications were rejected but who received temporary protection on humanitarian grounds.

DW reported the Syrian diaspora worldwide is celebrating the fall of President Bashar Assad. Many have lived as refugees for over a decade, and while Syria’s future remains uncertain, they are hopeful about the possibility of returning to their homeland.

An alle syrischen “Flüchtlinge” in Deutschland:
UND TSCHÜSS!
Wer Islamisten unterstützt, hat in #Deutschland nichts zu suchen. Unsere Werte und Sicherheit müssen immer an erster Stelle stehen.#Assad #Syrer #Syrien pic.twitter.com/mjboxI71W9

— Sahhan (@sahhan58) December 8, 2024

A significant number of Syrians arrived in Germany in 2015, when over 320,000 sought protection. While many now hold permanent residence permits, some have only been granted temporary stay orders, leaving their legal status uncertain. This often limits their access to work and educational opportunities.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, Syrian nationals became the largest group of naturalized citizens in Germany last year, with 75,500 receiving German passports. On average, they lived in Germany for 6.8 years before naturalization. By the end of 2023, more than 160,000 Syrians had been granted German citizenship.