Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) is pressing for the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg to begin reviewing the protection status of most Syrians, with a view to revoking it. Our colleagues at Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported the details, citing a preliminary government plan. The initiative is also backed by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, which insists on an autumn start this year.
Single men on welfare will be the first to fall under the new requirements
Alexander Throm, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s spokesman on domestic policy, named the first group whose residence status is to be reviewed to RND. This group turns out to be young single men who receive welfare benefits on a permanent basis, that is, those who do not work and live at the state’s expense. For those in employment, such as doctors and medical staff, Throm envisages a different path: a transition to permanent residence or to a work visa.
What has changed since the fall of the Assad regime
Deportation practice towards Syrians from the EU has tightened markedly since the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024. In 2024, BAMF still granted protection to Syrians or barred their removal in almost all cases involving Syrian nationals. In 2025, the rate of Syrians returning home was 5.3%. These figures were given in the government’s response to an inquiry from Bundestag member Clara Bünger (The Left).
Betting on voluntary departure
Throm does not propose limiting the measures to revoking protection status: a more effective programme to support voluntary return to the home country is also needed. Its aim is to increase the incentive for Syrian nationals to repatriate. He justified the proposal by pointing to the overall cost of deportation: “Any voluntary departure costs less than a forced deportation.” The draft 2027 budget already provides more funds for this programme. Currently, the payment is €1,000 per adult.
What this means
For now, these are merely intentions set out in a preliminary government plan. The government’s further plans rest on two basic elements: a review of protection status for welfare recipients who do not work, and an offer of start-up payments to those who choose to repatriate voluntarily. How many Syrians will ultimately lose protection, and how many will leave voluntarily, will become clear only after the main audit begins. And the audit will begin only once the proposed plans have been finally adopted by the government.
Sources: Reuters, RND, Berliner Zeitung.
