Syrians Still Reluctant To Leave Germany Despite Regime Change
Although more than €3 million was allocated for voluntary returns, only 289 Syrians have been returned to their homeland under state-specific programs.
A woman with a child in front of a destroyed portrait of Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus in 2024
By VOA photojournalist Yan Boechat – https://www.voanews.com/a/reporter-s-notebook-navigating-journalism-in-the-new-syria-/7946299.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=177026278
Although more than €3 million was allocated for voluntary returns, only 289 Syrians have been returned to their homeland under state-specific programs.
Following the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, only a small number of Syrians have left Germany. According to a report from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, released in response to a parliamentary question by Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) MP Stephan Brandner, authorities recorded just 4,633 departures of Syrian nationals by the end of August 2025.
Despite the political changes in Damascus, more than 951,000 Syrians were still living in Germany during the summer—only slightly fewer than a year earlier. The number of individuals considered potential Islamist threats also remains stable: the Joint Counter-Terrorism Center’s working group currently classifies 55 Syrians as Islamist threats, compared to 59 at the end of 2024. According to government data, nine of them left Germany voluntarily under supervision.
Government data show that of the total number of departures, 1,872 were funded through the joint federal-state program REAG/GARP, which covers travel expenses and start-up assistance. However, this program does not track destinations, making it unclear how many actually returned to Syria. Only 289 people were verifiably returned to their homeland under state-specific funding schemes. In total, more than €3 million in financial aid has been allocated for voluntary return programs this year.
At the same time, more Syrians continue to seek asylum. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 20,010 Syrians applied for asylum in 2025—most of them for the first time. The number of Syrians holding German citizenship also continues to rise, with 83,185 naturalized in 2024 alone.
A separate report by the Interior Ministry revealed that some Syrians have traveled to their homeland for vacation. By the end of May 2025, German authorities had documented 924 such trips, compared with 1,112 during the whole of 2024. In each case, investigations were launched into whether protection status should be revoked.
AfD politician Stephan Brandner described the situation as a “complete failure of the state in migration policy,” arguing that refugees should have returned following the fall of Assad. “Logically, the reason for their flight to Germany should have been resolved with this change of power,” he said, adding that the state could not afford to wait for “luxurious conditions” in Syria before encouraging returns.
Meanwhile, significant integration challenges persist. Earlier this year, CDU politician Mathias Middelberg warned that Syrians and Afghans lag far behind other migrant groups in employment. Only around 37% of them hold jobs subject to social security contributions. Middelberg urged job centers to increase their efforts, stressing that society “cannot accept that hundreds of thousands of young asylum migrants in Germany do not work for decades.”
Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.
