Germany and Austria freeze Syrian asylum applications, local media report

Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has put a hold on asylum applications from Syria on Monday, according to local media. A spokespeson reportedly said the decision was made as Syria's politicial future is currently too uncertain.

Local authorities said 47,270 applications were impacted by the application freeze, but that existing applications, which were already decided on, have not been impacted.

Austria has also decided to put a pause on its asylum applications, the Interior Ministry confirmed to local media. 7,300 applications will be affected.

The start of the civil war in 2011, triggered by popular discontent and the pro-democracy Arab Spring protests, forced 14 million Syrians to leave the country. It is estimated that roughly one million fled to Germany.

After almost two weeks of intense clashes, Hayar Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) opposition forces seized control over significant areas and eventually declared victory in the capital city of Damascus, bringing an end to Bashar al-Assad's dynastic rule of the country.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that the end of al-Assad’s rule in Syria was good news "for now", and emphasised that the priority should be on restoring the country's law and order.

“We will judge the future rulers by whether they make it possible for all Syrians to live in dignity and self-determination, defend Syria’s sovereignty against malicious interference by third parties and live in peace with their neighbours,” Scholz added.