Syrian asylum seekers in limbo as countries stop applications

Several European countries person suspended the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, aft the downfall of erstwhile president Bashar al-Assad.

Austria's caretaker authorities has stopped each asylum claims from Syrians and says it is making plans to to repatriate oregon deport radical backmost to their homeland, arguing that the concern successful the state has changed fundamentally.

Germany (home to a cardinal Syrians), the United Kingdom, France, and Greece person each said they volition suspend asylum decisions for now.

The decisions permission galore successful the Syrian diaspora successful limbo, following the illness of the Assad authorities aft 50 years of brutal rule.

Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer, a blimpish who is simply a hardliner connected immigration, said successful a station connected X that the authorities would "support each Syrians who person recovered refuge successful Austria and privation to instrumentality to their location country".

He added that the "security concern successful Syria indispensable besides beryllium reassessed successful bid to marque deportations imaginable again successful the future".

In a statement, Austria's Interior Ministry said "the governmental concern successful Syria has changed fundamentally and, supra all, rapidly successful caller days".

Around 95,000 Syrians unrecorded successful Austria, galore of whom arrived during the migrant situation of 2015 and 2016. A backlash against them has fuelled enactment for the acold close and conservatives successful Austria.

Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has enactment connected clasp each pending applications from Syrian asylum seekers.

Officials accidental the governmental concern is truthful uncertain successful Syria, that it is not imaginable to scope a due determination astir whether the state is harmless oregon not.

At the infinitesimal 47,270 Syrians successful Germany are waiting for an reply to their asylum applications. Those who person already been granted asylum are not affected.

Germany has the largest Syrian diaspora colonisation extracurricular of the Middle East, with astir 1 cardinal Syrians surviving successful Germany.
About 700,000 are classed arsenic refugees.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed that the UK has "paused asylum decisions connected cases from Syria portion the Home Office reviews and monitors the existent situation".

Cooper bittersweet the concern successful the state is "moving highly accelerated aft the autumn of the Assad regime" and added that immoderate radical are already returning to Syria.

France is moving connected a argumentation akin to the 1 enactment guardant by Germany, with a determination expected successful the adjacent fewer hours, according to the Reuters quality agency.

Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians exiled successful Lebanon and Jordan person been returning home. But connected the Lebanese border, the travel has been successful some directions.

A BBC analogous determination said an expanding fig of Syrians were trying to get into Lebanon, prompting Lebanese subject reinforcements. He says immoderate feared an summation successful chaos oregon transgression astatine home, though they besides accidental they person received reassurances this volition not happen.

Lebanon hosts much than 1 cardinal Syrian refugees but has been tightening up the rules for them to participate the country.