Austria, Denmark, Norway Follow Germany in Suspending Asylum Applications From Syrians
The authorities of Austria, Denmark and Norway, as well as Germany, have suspended consideration of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.
According to Reuters, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer gave a corresponding order to Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
‘Today, Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed Interior Minister Gerhard Karner to suspend all current asylum applications for Syrians and to review all cases in which asylum has been granted,’ the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
For his part, Karner said he had instructed the Interior Ministry to ‘prepare a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria’, without specifying how this could be achieved.
The ministry also said it was suspending the family reunification programme, which allows refugee families to join them.
The Danish and Norwegian migration authorities have also announced that they are suspending asylum applications for people from Syria.
The Danish Refugee Appeals Board reported that it had decided to suspend 69 cases involving people from Syria ‘due to the very uncertain situation in the country after the fall of the Assad regime’.
It also decided to postpone the departure deadline for people who could be deported to Syria and who have been denied a residence permit. This decision concerns approximately 50 Syrian refugees.
The Danish Migration Authority may reconsider the decision at its next meeting on 16 January 2025.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), in turn, has also decided to suspend consideration of asylum applications from Syrians due to ‘recent significant developments and changes in Syria’.
‘Applicants from Syria who have not yet been called for an interview will not be called for as long as the asylum proceedings are suspended,’ UDI added, specifying that the decision would be in force “until further notice”.
As The Gaze previously reported, due to the situation in Syria, the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees decided on Monday to stop accepting asylum applications from Syrians.
The day before, rebels took control of the Syrian capital Damascus, marking the end of President Bashar al-Assad's two-decade rule. It is still unclear whether Syria will be safe for its citizens after the change of power.