Interior-Ministry statistics released late on 24 November and analysed on 25 November show only 1,293 asylum applications were lodged in October—down 49 % year-on-year and the lowest monthly tally since 2020. Cumulative filings for January-October stand at 14,325, roughly one-third less than in 2024. Officials credit prolonged Schengen-border controls with Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Czechia, a sharply reduced family-reunification quota, and joint police operations such as “Operation Fox.”
For employers the decline has a silver lining: the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum has cleared a backlog of 26,000 cases, cutting processing times for asylum-to-work-permit conversions to under two months. HR teams with skilled staff who entered as asylum seekers can now accelerate Red-White-Red Card Plus upgrades.
![Austria’s Asylum Applications Drop to Five-Year Low, Easing Work-Permit Backlog]()
The data also reveal a changing profile. Syrians remain the largest nationality, but 17 % of October applications involved children born in Austria to parents already holding protection. Applicants from Georgia, India and Morocco continue to face accelerated procedures with low recognition rates.
Politically, the figures strengthen Vienna’s negotiating position ahead of December’s EU Council debate on the Common European Asylum System reform, where Austria is lobbying for external processing centres and quicker returns. Opposition parties disagree on the implications: the FPÖ warns of hidden migration channels, while the SPÖ fears reversals if border checks are relaxed.
For employers the decline has a silver lining: the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum has cleared a backlog of 26,000 cases, cutting processing times for asylum-to-work-permit conversions to under two months. HR teams with skilled staff who entered as asylum seekers can now accelerate Red-White-Red Card Plus upgrades.
The data also reveal a changing profile. Syrians remain the largest nationality, but 17 % of October applications involved children born in Austria to parents already holding protection. Applicants from Georgia, India and Morocco continue to face accelerated procedures with low recognition rates.
Politically, the figures strengthen Vienna’s negotiating position ahead of December’s EU Council debate on the Common European Asylum System reform, where Austria is lobbying for external processing centres and quicker returns. Opposition parties disagree on the implications: the FPÖ warns of hidden migration channels, while the SPÖ fears reversals if border checks are relaxed.
