Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has begun revoking protection status from a growing number of Syrian refugees, as more Syrians are voluntarily returning to Syria.
According to a report by the German publication Der Spiegel, the office had been conducting periodic reviews of Syrians’ files even before the war in Syria ended in late 2024.
However, these reviews rarely ended with the cancellation of protection status, but that trend has changed this year.
The report said the average number of monthly file reviews reached 1,404, a level close to last year, but the share of decisions that ended with the withdrawal of protection rose significantly.
After the revocation rate had been below 4% of reviewed files during 2025, it rose to about 17% in 2026, while exceeding 30% in May, the highest level recorded so far.
The federal office explained that the increase is due to a greater focus on reviewing the files of people convicted of crimes, since withdrawing protection in such cases is easier, according to the report.
Despite this, the report confirmed that the impact of these measures remains limited compared with the total number of Syrians who have protection in Germany, estimated at about 500,000 people.
2,325 Syrians Returned Voluntarily in 2026
In this context, the number of Syrians leaving Germany voluntarily is increasing.
According to the data, 3,681 Syrians returned with support from the federal government during 2025, while the number of returnees during the first five months of this year reached 2,325, including 652 people in May alone.
According to the publication, the Federal Ministry of the Interior believes these figures remain below the desired level.
The German outlet reported that Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced during the Interior Ministers’ Conference, held in mid-June 2026, that he intended to raise the voluntary return grant to a maximum of 1,000 euros for each adult, noting that the final details of the program have not yet been settled.
The interior ministers of Germany’s 16 states also discussed the future of Syrian migrants living in the country during their conference in Hamburg in June 2026.
According to German magazine Focus, states led by the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, along with states governed by the Social Democratic Party, put forward proposals related to the Syrian file.
Lower Saxony, representing the states led by the Social Democratic Party, submitted a draft resolution affirming that many Syrians in Germany are durably integrated, whether through work, study, vocational training, or community participation.
As for the states led by the Christian Democratic Union, known as Category B states, the Hesse Interior Ministry placed the residency status of Syrian citizens on the conference agenda.
The ministry, headed by Roman Poseck, pointed to a change in the approach of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees toward Syrians’ asylum applications, explaining that out of 25,923 asylum applications submitted by Syrians during 2025, only 532 were approved.
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