The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has confirmed that protection is now granted in just five per cent of Syrian asylum applications, down from near-universal approval a decade ago and still above 90 % as recently as 2024. The figures, released on 10 April in response to a Bundestag inquiry and reported by Brussels Signal, mark a dramatic tightening of Germany’s asylum regime following the declared end of Syria’s civil war in late 2024. In October 2025 alone, BAMF decided 3,134 Syrian cases but conferred asylum, refugee or subsidiary protection on only 26 applicants; 1,900 were rejected as “manifestly unfounded.” Interior officials say the new approach reflects updated Foreign Office country assessments that large parts of Syria are now considered safe for return, though NGOs dispute the evaluation. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has floated a target of returning up to 80 % of Syrians in Germany within three years—a statement that drew fierce backlash from coalition partners, employers’ associations worried about labour shortages, and human-rights groups. While Merz later softened the rhetoric, BAMF is conducting systematic reviews of existing Syrian protection statuses. For employers the shift introduces compliance complexity: Syrian staff on refugee residence titles may face re-examination and could lose work authorisation if protection lapses. Immigration counsel recommends auditing work-force nationality mixes and establishing contingency plans—such as skills-based residence permits—to retain key employees. At the same time, the policy may complicate Germany’s broader talent-attraction agenda. The reformed Skilled Immigration Act, which lowered salary thresholds and introduced a points system in March 2024, relies on a welcoming narrative to fill an estimated 400,000 vacancies annually. Critics argue that mass returns undercut that message and risk pushing qualified Syrians toward rival destinations like Canada or the Netherlands.
Source: Brussels Signal
