On December 10, 2024, the Epoch Times reported that the UK government spokesperson announced on Monday, December 9, that the UK has suspended decisions on asylum applications from Syrian refugees.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that following the fall of the Assad regime, the situation has been rapidly evolving, with some Syrians already starting to return to their homeland.
A statement from the Home Office mentioned, “The Home Office has suspended decisions on Syrian asylum applications. We are assessing the current situation and will continue to review national policy guidelines related to asylum applications to address emerging issues.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the end of the “barbaric regime” of Assad in Syria and called for the restoration of “peace and stability.”
According to BBC reports, countries like Germany, France, and Sweden have also halted all pending asylum applications for Syrian citizens, while Austria has announced plans to quickly repatriate refugees.
Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, Assad has brutally suppressed the pro-democracy uprising, leading to millions of Syrians fleeing the country.
According to data from the UK Refugee Council, as of the end of February 2021, over 20,000 Syrian refugees have been resettled through government placement programs in the UK.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has warned that the situation in Syria could potentially trigger more immigration flows into various European countries, depending on the country’s future developments.