Austria Rejects Asylum Applications from Moroccans
Recent statistics from the Austrian Ministry of the Interior reveal that Moroccan citizens face the lowest acceptance rates for asylum requests in this country, with a mere 1.7% success rate during the first seven months of this year. This places Morocco at the forefront of countries where the chances of acceptance for their citizens are almost nonexistent, alongside Georgia and India.
The ministry noted that over 10,000 asylum applications were submitted in Austria by foreign nationals between January and July of this year, marking a decrease of approximately 33% compared to the same period last year. It registered that about two-thirds of this year’s applications were continuation requests from individuals who already held protective status in Austria, indicating a clear success in curbing irregular migration to nearly zero.
According to the same source, Afghan citizens topped the asylum applications in July, with 479 requests of the total 1,582 submissions received by immigration authorities, which included only 188 new requests while the rest were follow-up applications or submitted by children born in Austria.
During the first seven months of the year, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) issued over 18,000 rejection decisions for asylum requests submitted by foreigners. Meanwhile, 1,082 individuals voluntarily withdrew their protection requests and left Austria during the process, while only 6,064 individuals were granted asylum or temporary protection status.
The report from the Austrian Ministry of the Interior highlighted that acceptance rates were nearly nonexistent for applicants from Morocco (1.7%), Georgia (1.6%), and India (1.9%). The BFA continues to rely on expedited procedures in these cases, processing applications in some instances within as little as 72 hours.
Regarding deportation operations, the data revealed that over 7,820 deportations were carried out, noting that half of those deported had prior criminal convictions from Austrian courts, including 68 Syrians, 68 Afghans, and 60 Algerians.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that recent months have seen the implementation of a series of measures as part of a strict, firm, and fair asylum policy, including the suspension of family reunifications, the introduction of material assistance cards, and regular deportation operations, emphasizing that the goal behind all this is to drive irregular migration to zero. He added, “We will continue this approach with determination.”
In a related context, the annual report from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) for 2024 revealed a record number of deportations, with over 13,000 individuals deported. The report also indicated that more than 1,389 expedited asylum requests were processed for individuals from “safe countries” or countries with low acceptance likelihood, with Moroccan, Turkish, and Indian nationals being among the primary targets.
Gernot Meyer, the director of the aforementioned office, said, “In 2024, we focused specifically on addressing pending cases from 2022 and 2023, thereby managing to reduce the number of outstanding files by nearly half. We continue to apply expedited procedures for individuals with low chances of recognition and acceptance,” adding, “If an individual does not obtain the right to stay in Austria, we work hard to ensure their voluntary or forced departure as soon as possible.”
