Asylum policy: No exploration trips for Syrians – BAMF examines revocation

Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has instructed the Federal Office of Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to check the protection status for certain refugees from Syria. It is about Syrian offenders and so -called dangers, “as far as this group of people fully rejected due to the individual circumstances of the individual case,” said a spokesman on request.

He pointed out that protection status could be refused or revoked if there are serious crimes. The police call “dangers” people whom they trust serious politically motivated crimes up to terrorist attacks.

A total of 10,064 decisions were made in cancellation test procedures for Syrian citizens in the current year – according to BAMF, a revocation was made in 97 cases.

Many Syrians meet requirements for naturalization

At the end of December 2024, around 975,000 Syrian citizens lived in Germany. More than 83,000 Syrians were naturalized last year. The number of Syrians, who returned from Germany after the fall of long-term power holders Bashar al-Assad from Germany last December, is still relatively low. With state funding, only a few hundred refugees have returned to Syria since the beginning of the year.

In January, the traffic light government had considered enabling people from Syria to explore their country of origin without losing their protection status. However, this idea was not implemented and is not pursued by the new federal government. On request, a spokesman said: “After a detailed examination, the Federal Ministry of the Interior decided to enable short -term home trips for Syrians without effects on protection status.”

According to the applicable legal situation, it is generally assumed when traveling to the country of origin that the requirements for the respective protection status are no longer met. Exceptions are possible, for example if a family member is seriously ill. If the BAMF becomes aware of a journey home by a person who is entitled to protection, it is obliged to check in individual cases whether the protection granted is to be revoked.