EU Revises Syrian Asylum Guidelines One Year Post-Assad

One year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, the European Union has released revised guidelines for processing asylum claims from Syrian citizens, accounting for the evolving security landscape in their homeland. This update could impact outcomes for approximately 110,000 pending applications from Syrians as of late September.

According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), individuals who opposed Assad's regime or avoided mandatory military service no longer face a credible threat of persecution under the new Syrian administration.

However, the agency highlighted ongoing vulnerabilities for certain demographics, such as former government affiliates and members of minority communities including Alawites, Christians, and Druze. These groups may still qualify for protection amid potential reprisals.

Although individual asylum rulings remain under the purview of national authorities, the EUAA's recommendations serve as a key reference for harmonizing decisions across the 27 EU countries, plus Norway and Switzerland—totaling 29 jurisdictions—to promote consistent international protection standards.

Asylum applications from Syrians have plummeted, from 16,000 in October 2024 (pre-Assad collapse) to just 3,500 in September 2025. Despite this decline, Syrians continue to hold the highest backlog of unresolved first-instance cases in Europe.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in March 2011, resulted in nearly 500,000 deaths and displaced half of the nation's pre-conflict population of 23 million. Over 5 million Syrians became refugees abroad, with many initially finding shelter in nearby nations like Turkey. This exodus played a pivotal role in Europe's 2015 migrant crisis.

The EUAA described Syria's current environment as "markedly improved yet unstable" following Assad's downfall in December 2024, noting that sporadic, indiscriminate violence persists in select areas.

Initial optimism surged among Syrians when rebel forces toppled Assad in early December 2024. Yet, that hope has been tempered by sectarian violence, including targeted killings of Alawites in coastal regions and Druze in the southern Sweida province, which have resulted in hundreds of casualties this year.

On a positive note, the agency now deems Damascus, the capital, a relatively secure location for returns.

Two additional categories of Syrians were flagged as warranting continued refugee eligibility: LGBTQ+ individuals facing societal risks, and Palestinian refugees in Syria who have lost access to UN support and safeguards.

Post-Assad, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports over 1 million returns from abroad and nearly 2 million internal displacements reversed within Syria.

[Associated Press]