Ministry does the math:

“Every immigrant brings three more”

Children make up the largest group of asylum seekers.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Family reunification of refugees is becoming more and more of a burden. Children now make up the largest group, as the latest figures from the Ministry of the Interior show. An almost unsolvable problem for the education system. The situation is particularly dramatic in Vienna. Who is following suit - and why the federal capital suddenly wants to change its asylum strategy.

Children up to the age of seven are now the largest group of asylum seekers. In the first quarter, almost a third of the total of almost 7,000 asylum applications came from children between the ages of zero and seven. Around 53% of applicants are no older than 18. In addition, the proportion of female asylum seekers (46%, including children) has risen significantly. In 2023, this figure was only around 24% by comparison. 

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, stock.adobe)

The common formula in migration is: one immigrant brings three more, explains an expert from the ministry to the "Krone". Spouses of recognized asylum seekers as well as beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and their underage children can benefit from family reunification. The same applies to parents of a child who has come to Austria.

Hardly any other country is as burdened as Austria
Other figures also show the enormous burden: Austria has had around 400,000 applications since 2015, as many as 14 other EU states combined, and 190,000 grants of protection, as many as 18 EU states.

Symbolic image

(Bild: P. Huber)

Syria by far the strongest nation
Syria is now the strongest nation. Of the 7000 new asylum applications, 4335 were from Syrians. They are followed by Afghans (665). Both groups have a good chance of obtaining protection in Austria. Only 30 percent of asylum applications from Syrians were rejected, compared to 39 percent for Afghans. In 2023, Austria was in second place in terms of per capita numbers (651 asylum applications per 100,000 inhabitants) behind Cyprus as the country of arrival. 

Just over 3000 departures
There were 1427 voluntary departures from January to March. This contrasts with 1722 forced removals from the country. In total, this is just under 240 more than in the first quarter of the previous year. When both groups are added together, Slovaks, Turks and Hungarians are at the top of the list of those who had to return to their home country. The majority of Turks left voluntarily. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 39 percent of those deported had committed criminal offenses.

Many Ukrainians continue to arrive
The number of displaced persons from Ukraine who are still seeking protection in Austria this year is not at all small. In the period from January to March, 3484 people were registered in accordance with the Ukrainian Displaced Persons Ordinance.

Vienna now suddenly wants compulsory residence
It has now dawned on the Vienna SPÖ that the city has a problem with too much migration. However, the blame is being placed elsewhere, namely on the federal government. The city government, which for decades has provided incentives for people to move to the capital, now wants to introduce a residency requirement for recognized refugees. This means that those who have not completed their asylum procedure will have to live for three years in the federal state in which their procedure was completed.

City Councillor Hacker likes to mess with the federal government.

(Bild: Zwefo)

The federal government should solve Vienna's problems
"Vienna is the only federal state that exceeds the care quota. This creates a considerable burden on the entire educational infrastructure," says City Councillor Peter Hacker (SPÖ). The federal government is needed to solve these problems. It is unacceptable "for the respective ministers to simply sit back"