High proportion of children

Asylum: Applications for family reunification are declining

A particularly large number of people bring their family members from Syria to Austria (symbolic image).

(Bild: Richtsteiger - stock.adobe.com)

The strong influx via family reunification is likely to level off soon. This is according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior. 

In April, 811 applications were made to enter Austria, 1374 fewer than in January and significantly fewer than the monthly average for the previous year (169). Asylum numbers are also down and fewer places are now needed in basic care.

Continued high proportion of children
The fact that fewer applications for family reunification have now been submitted - as expected anyway - will only have an impact on asylum applications themselves in a few weeks' time. Family reunification still remains a relevant factor. This can already be seen in the fact that children under the age of 7 are the largest group of applicants. In addition, the proportion of asylum applications from females is unusually high at a good 45%.

The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum in Vienna is responsible for family reunification (archive photo).

(Bild: APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER)

66% positive rate for Syrians
A total of 9173 asylum applications were submitted in the first third of the year, 33% fewer than in the same period in 2023. No fewer than 4840 were from minors. As many as 5671 asylum applications came from Syrians. Asylum seekers from Afghanistan followed closely behind with 933 applications. Citizens of both nations still have a good chance of being granted asylum. The positive rate for Syrians was 66 percent this year, and 47 percent for Afghans. A good 10,000 people were granted asylum, subsidiary protection or a humanitarian residence permit.

332,500 asylum applications in Europe
In Europe, there were 332,500 asylum applications by the end of April, almost the same number as in the previous year. Applications in Greece (up 61 percent) and Italy (up 40 percent) have risen sharply. Extrapolated to the population, Austria is currently only in sixth place in the Europe-wide statistics, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior.

Ministry satisfied with border controls
The Ministry of the Interior is satisfied with the success of border controls. In Burgenland, for example, 235 people were apprehended after crossing the border illegally in the first four months - in the same period in 2023, the figure was 5,833, compared to 8587 a year earlier.

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

The figure for basic care is high, but significantly lower than a few months ago. At the beginning of May, just under 74,900 people were accommodated. That is around 4,000 fewer than in the previous year. Just under 39,000, or more than half of those receiving basic care, are displaced persons from Ukraine.