Austria offers financial incentives to Syrians in exchange for voluntary return

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on Tuesday that the government will implement a temporary program granting financial incentives to Syrians willing to return voluntarily to Syria, as part of efforts Austria says aim to ease pressure on support systems and contribute to the reconstruction of the country, according to the Austrian Press Agency.

Under the program, individuals whose asylum applications are still under review, or who receive basic assistance and hold subsidiary protection status, will receive €3,000 upon voluntary return, while support allocated to those granted asylum status will increase from €1,000 to €1,500.

Karner explained that authorities will assess the results of the initiative three months after its implementation, without providing estimates of how many Syrians are expected to benefit. He also ruled out increasing the incentive amounts for now if the plan does not achieve the desired results.

The minister noted that since the fall of the Baath regime on December 8, 2024, around 2,000 Syrians have left Austria, either through voluntary return or forced deportation, stressing that the government views voluntary return as the preferred option from both a financial and administrative perspective.

He also revealed that Austrian authorities have reopened and reviewed around 13,000 Syrian files since that date, adding that the reassessment has led to the reduction or cancellation of protection status for around 4,400 individuals.

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ANHA