Decline in Syrian immigration: fewer applications and more returns!

Decline in Syrian immigration: fewer applications and more returns!

In the first nine months of 2025, the influx of Syrian refugees to Germany fell noticeably. By September, around 40,000 people had come from Syria, a decrease of 46.5 percent compared to the same period last year, when over 74,600 Syrians entered Germany. This could have an impact on the country's socio-cultural landscape and integration policies. Loud daily news These figures show that the political and social developments in Syria are also noticeable in Germany.

During the same period, Germany recorded an increase in the return of Syrian nationals to their homeland. 21,800 Syrians left Germany in the first nine months, an increase of 35.3 percent compared to the previous year. This could be due to the improved security situation in some parts of Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024. Ahmad al-Sharaa was appointed as the new interim president. Despite these developments, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) expressed skepticism about the return of refugees, which caused criticism in the Union parties as this was seen as a departure from the previous deportation policy.

The decline in asylum applications

The number of asylum applications from Syrian nationals has also fallen: from January to September 2025, 19,200 initial applications were registered, which corresponds to 21.9 percent of the total 87,800 asylum applications. Last year there were 58,400 applications, which means a decline of around 67 percent. This shows that the number of Syrians seeking protection in Germany has decreased significantly ZDF determines.

In total, around 713,000 Syrians seeking protection were living in Germany at the end of 2024, which is around 22 percent of the total number of those seeking protection. A good half of them, 48 percent, came to Germany before or up to and including 2016, while 12 percent were born in Germany. Over 90 percent of Syrians seeking protection had recognized protection status at the end of 2024. This suggests that a large part of the Syrian community is already firmly integrated and may no longer feel the urge to come to Germany.

Integration and naturalization

With around 1.22 million people with Syrian roots, the Syrian diaspora is still strongly represented in Germany. A notable point is that about a quarter of this group has German citizenship. Last year, around 83,200 Syrians were naturalized, accounting for 28 percent of all naturalizations. The focus on the integration of the Syrian population remains a central issue for the German authorities.

The government's plans to repatriate Syrian refugees are still under discussion. Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated the federal government's goals to strive for returns to Syria. Jens Spahn (CDU) suggests increasing the incentives for voluntary returns, which are currently 1,000 euros per person. The political discussion about return and integration remains exciting.