The United Kingdom will resume processing the asylum claims of Syrian nationals, Asylum Minister Angela Eagle announced on Tuesday, July 15.

In a statement, Eagle said that the Home Office had lifted the pause as soon as there was sufficient information to make accurate and well-evidenced determinations. 

The announcement marks an end to the more than seven-month suspension of asylum claims for Syrian nationals. The UK suspended processing of claims for international protection on December 9, a day after the fall of the Assad Regime.

New Syrian asylum claims dropped by 81 percent, from 2,280 individuals in the last quarter of 2024 to 443 in the first quarter of 2025 as a result of the suspension. In the period before 2024, most asylum seekers in the UK were from the Middle East, with Syrian and Iranian the most common nationalities 

The UK Home Office published guidance for officials in reviewing asylum claims made by Syrian nationals. The policy note called on decision–makers to "consider all claims on an individual basis, taking into account each case’s specific facts."

British broadcaster BBC News reported that more than 20 asylum seekers who had been living in the UK have already voluntarily returned to Syria this year. Thousands of others could now also be eligible to return to Syria. 

Welcomed by activists

More than 7,000 Syrians in the UK were left in limbo by the temporary suspension of asylum claims. Most were reportedly living in government-funded accommodation. 

The lifting of the suspension was welcomed by rights activists. "We know the pause in decision-making had left Syrian people trapped in further limbo, unable to work, move on with their lives, and fearing for their future," Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said in a post on Blue Sky.  

"However, the situation in Syria continues to be unstable and we urge the Government to ensure that every asylum application is assessed on a case-by-case basis, ensuring the safety and protection of Syrians who would face extreme risk if they returned." 

The NGO Right to Remain reported that between 2011 and 2021, more than 30,000 Syrians were granted asylum in the UK. Syrian asylum claimants have had very high grant rates in the UK, of around 99 percent. Many have also been resettled under resettlement schemes. 

Slow resumption of asylum claims

In December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed, ending over a decade of authoritarian rule and armed conflict. The fall of the dictatorship triggered widespread uncertainty about the future of hundreds of thousands of Syrian nationals exiled across Europe. In response, many European countries issued a moratorium on the processing of asylum claims pending a reevaluation of asylum policies and the humanitarian and safety conditions in Syria.

Slowly, European States have resumed the asylum claims processing.

Last month, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) of the Netherlands resumed decision-making on the almost 17,000 outstanding and new asylum applications lodged by Syrian nationals seeking asylum. 

This decision followed a downgrading of the risk level for Syria. EU assessment guidelines had declared that the risk of people facing persecution and arbitrary violence in Syria was at the lowest level.

However, an increased risk level is still valid for certain groups in Syria, such as members of the LGBTIQ+ community and the Alawite minority.

Earlier this year, France resumed the review of some 700 temporarily frozen applications, and continues to process new ones, reported Syria in Transition, a monthly policy newsletter which is produced by the London-based thinktank Conflict Mediation Solutions.

Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal continued processing asylum applications from Syrian nationals.

Read AlsoNetherlands starts processing Syrian asylum cases once more

Deportations  

Germany, the EU country that received the largest number of Syrian nationals, began hearings for Syrian asylum seekers in May, but formal decisions on these applications remain on hold pending further assessment of the situation in Syria.

An estimated 47,000 pending asylum requests were put on hold after the German government announced a suspension of the processing of claims for international protection.

Last month, Austria became the first EU country to deport a Syrian national back to Syria since the Assad regime crumbled. The 32-year-old man had been granted asylum in Austria in 2014. This was later revoked in 2019 due to a criminal conviction.

In the days following Austria's deportation of the Syrian national, Germany announced plans to deport Syrians with criminal records.

Human rights groups warned that the shift in policy on forcible returns set by Austria and Germany could set a precedent for other European countries amid rising anti-migrant sentiment, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles said.

Read Also Germany to deport Syrian criminals, following Austria's lead