New data released on 8 November 2025 by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) show a dramatic shift in Germany’s asylum landscape. The agency denied 1,906 first-time applications from Syrian nationals in October—more than ten times the combined total of January-to-September rejections. The surge follows the lifting of a year-long review freeze imposed after the collapse of the Assad regime in Damascus.
According to BAMF, caseworkers have resumed processing files for ‘young, employable and unaccompanied’ male Syrians, applying stricter country-of-origin guidelines that view large parts of Syria as safe for return. The Interior Ministry confirmed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz still plans to negotiate a deportation agreement with Syria for rejected applicants convicted of crimes.
![Germany Rejects Record Number of Syrian Asylum Applications in October]()
For German employers, the new rejection trend could tighten an already constrained labour market. Many engineering and logistics firms had tapped qualified Syrians through apprenticeship schemes started during the 2015-2020 refugee influx. Legal advisers warn that staff with pending applications may now face imminent deportation orders unless they qualify for work-based residence permits under Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act.
Human-rights groups criticised the policy reversal, arguing that on-the-ground security in Syria remains volatile. But conservative lawmakers say the high rejection numbers prove that BAMF is finally applying “realistic” standards, which they hope will placate voters concerned about irregular migration ahead of next year’s state elections.
Corporations are advised to audit their workforce for employees on humanitarian visas and to prepare contingency plans, including sponsorship of ‘§ 19c’ skilled-worker permits, to avoid sudden talent losses.
According to BAMF, caseworkers have resumed processing files for ‘young, employable and unaccompanied’ male Syrians, applying stricter country-of-origin guidelines that view large parts of Syria as safe for return. The Interior Ministry confirmed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz still plans to negotiate a deportation agreement with Syria for rejected applicants convicted of crimes.
For German employers, the new rejection trend could tighten an already constrained labour market. Many engineering and logistics firms had tapped qualified Syrians through apprenticeship schemes started during the 2015-2020 refugee influx. Legal advisers warn that staff with pending applications may now face imminent deportation orders unless they qualify for work-based residence permits under Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act.
Human-rights groups criticised the policy reversal, arguing that on-the-ground security in Syria remains volatile. But conservative lawmakers say the high rejection numbers prove that BAMF is finally applying “realistic” standards, which they hope will placate voters concerned about irregular migration ahead of next year’s state elections.
Corporations are advised to audit their workforce for employees on humanitarian visas and to prepare contingency plans, including sponsorship of ‘§ 19c’ skilled-worker permits, to avoid sudden talent losses.
