The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has significantly reduced the number of reassessment procedures initiated this year compared to previous years.
Data indicates that between January and August 2024, approximately 16,000 new proceedings were opened, with nearly 34,000 cases concluded. This marks a substantial decline from 2021, when 117,000 new proceedings were initiated. Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi nationals have been disproportionately affected by these proceedings.
In 31,992 instances, BAMF confirmed the existing status of protection, while 1,823 cases resulted in a revocation or withdrawal of that protection.
BAMF does not provide detailed justifications for opening individual proceedings, citing the complexity of the personal histories of those seeking protection and their resistance to standardized categorization. Consequently, the office does not maintain statistics regarding factors such as return visits to their countries of origin, criminal records, or information received from security agencies, although these elements can potentially influence the reassessment process.
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, travel to a country of origin can potentially impact a refugee’s status, under the assumption that protection is no longer necessary should an individual return to their homeland. The decision regarding whether a reassessment procedure is initiated rests with BAMF on a case-by-case basis. The frequency with which such travel leads to the withdrawal of protected status is not recorded.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have reportedly returned to their homeland, largely from Turkey. To date, approximately 1,900 Syrians have voluntarily left Germany as part of a government support program.