The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has formally appealed to the German government to facilitate exploratory visits for Syrian refugees in Germany who are considering returning to their homeland. Currently, such trips risk the loss of their protected status.
Katharina Thote, UNHCR’s representative in Germany, emphasized that allowing these visits would provide refugees with the opportunity to make informed decisions regarding voluntary repatriation. She described the potential action as a “pragmatic signal” from the government.
According to Thote, “Go and See Visits” short, self-organized trips to Syria, are crucial for refugees contemplating a return. These visits allow individuals to assess essential factors such as employment prospects, access to education for children, the condition of their homes and overall safety conditions. “These are existential questions and without answers, no one-particularly not a family-makes such a far-reaching decision” she stated. Such exploratory visits, she added, can contribute to making a return more realistic, dignified and safe and can strengthen trust in associated repatriation programs.
UNHCR stressed that any such travel should be voluntary, time-limited and without jeopardizing the refugees’ existing protection status. The agency clarified that a brief visit should not be interpreted as evidence that the need for protection has ceased, but could contribute to the long-term success and permanence of any return.
The German Foreign Office continues to caution against travel to Syria. Current German regulations, as detailed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), presume that travelling to Syria by Syrian refugees indicates that the conditions supporting their protection status no longer exist. The organization Pro Asyl has warned that travel to Syria generally leads to the revocation of protective status by the BAMF.
Several other nations, including France and Turkey, permit Syrian refugees to undertake exploratory visits to their homeland under specific conditions without forfeiting their refugee status.