How to deal with Syria and Syrian refugees after the fall of the Assad regime remains a complicated issue for the new German government. Although the number of asylum applications from Syrians has dropped significantly, they still top the asylum statistics: between January and March of this year, Syrians filed around 10,000 applications—half as many as in the same period the previous year. However, since December 2024, when Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has stopped deciding on these applications.
The situation in Syria remains too unclear: Is the country becoming more democratic or at least safer? If so, Syrians would no longer be eligible for subsidiary protection—something that had been granted tens of thousands of times since the outbreak of the civil war. It could also mean that Syrians already living in Germany might have to return to their country of origin, and deportations might once again become possible. The previous government left these questions unanswered, even though former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser visited Syria and held related talks.
The traffic light coalition did take a different step: it included Syria in BAMF’s return assistance program to financially support voluntary returns. Between mid-January, when the program was launched, and mid-April, 464 individuals used federal subsidies to return to Syria, according to the Interior Ministry. The return process was organized through the government’s REAG/GARP program.
The subsidy rates are clearly defined: each person receives 200 euros in travel assistance. In addition, individuals over 18 and unaccompanied minors receive 1,000 euros in start-up aid; children and adolescents receive 500 euros. Medical aid is also covered. A family can receive a maximum of 4,000 euros. For years, the federal government had refused financial support for such returns, fearing it might appear to be indirectly financing the Assad regime. Some federal states had offered similar programs, but these were rarely used.
Conditions in the war-torn country remain unstable, and living conditions differ widely by region. For this reason, former Interior Minister Faeser wanted to allow so-called exploratory trips for Syrians. The federal government had considered a similar idea last summer when it introduced its security package after the Solingen attack. At that time, the aim was to counteract the practice of some migrants—already granted protection in Germany—travelling repeatedly to their home countries. Between November 2024 and the end of March 2025, BAMF initiated more than 2,000 proceedings against refugees who had returned to their countries of origin. Most of these individuals were Iraqis, Syrians, and Afghans. As of the end of March, 969,000 Syrians were registered in Germany, with a third of them holding subsidiary protection status. Under the new security package, such travel can now lead to the revocation of protection status. Exceptions apply to trips for funerals—or those intended to prepare a permanent return to Syria.
CDU and CSU leaders have sharply criticized the SPD interior minister’s plans. Thorsten Frei, the new head of the Chancellery, spoke out against individual travel to Syria. He insisted that it should remain the German state’s prerogative to determine whether a return is possible—or even necessary. Bavaria’s CSU Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann warned of uncontrollable travel movements. He also pointed to the unresolved issue of social benefits migrants might still be receiving in Germany during such trips. “There must be no vacation travel under the guise of exploratory visits,” Herrmann said.
In contrast, the returns processed through BAMF’s REAG/GARP program are orderly—but slow. The program’s website warns: due to the high volume of applications, it can take up to eight weeks for a decision to be issued. For high-demand countries like Syria, the wait may stretch to twelve weeks. Since January 13, Syrians have filed 820 applications for return assistance, but only 464 have been approved, according to the Interior Ministry. These 820 applications represent 1,326 individuals. Another 82 applications (covering 132 people) were withdrawn by the applicants themselves.
The slow pace of review is reflected in BAMF’s numbers: as of March 31, a total of 1,745 return assistance applications were still being processed. Of those, 571 were from Turkish nationals, 321 from Syrians, and 88 from Russians. Since the beginning of the year, 2,157 applications have been approved—again, mostly from Turks, Syrians, and Russians. Once approval is granted, however, the returns are generally final: according to BAMF, only a single-digit number of individuals have attempted to re-enter Germany after leaving.
