ÖVP proposal from Upper Austria:

Vacation in home country should bring immediate asylum ban

Explosion in Aleppo, a historic metropolis in Syria - refugees who have fled from here, for example, but return for vacation purposes are to lose their protection status.

(Bild: AP)

Summer is vacation time, even for refugees who have the right to travel abroad. But there are also risks involved, especially if you travel to the country you have fled from. One in seven cases of protection being revoked is already due to "travel activity", but ÖVP politicians in Upper Austria want more clarity.

The regulation on the withdrawal of protection status for those entitled to asylum and those in need of subsidiary protection is too vague if they travel to their home countries - which they are allowed to do in principle, for example to clarify property claims. "If there is even the slightest suspicion that a refugee is traveling to their home country with the intention of going on vacation, their protection status must be withdrawn as quickly as possible," says ÖVP regional managing director Florian Hiegelsberger, calling for clarity from the future federal government.

Travel activities of persons entitled to asylum are also checked if the authorities become aware of them - for example if the border police detect them. However, protection status is withdrawn on a case-by-case basis. In the previous year, 2860 revocation procedures were initiated nationwide, 403 of which were due to travel movements. Most of these concerned Russia (100), followed by Syria (94) and Afghanistan (76). Eight stateless refugees also risked losing their official asylum status by traveling.