Nearly all Syrian refugees in Germany have retained their protection status even after the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Bamf) has carried out a so‑called revocation review. The agency examines whether there are grounds to strip a refugee of their protection title, which would unlock a possible deportation.
In 2025 the Bamf opened 17,767 revocation procedures. Only 659 Syrians actually lost their protection title that year, while 17,108 cases were decided against revocation – more than 96 % of the reviews ended in favor of maintaining status, contrary to the federal government’s expectations.
The trend continued into the current year: out of 2,280 revocation procedures, 253 resulted in the removal of protection titles, and 2,027 Syrians kept theirs.
There are still 19,841 pending revocation cases involving Syrian nationals. Such proceedings are typically triggered by criminal activity or perceived threats, but they also occur when a refugee travels back to Syria. Refugees normally cannot return to their home country if they lack a settled residence permit in Germany.
Bamf officials argue that the low number of revocations can be attributed in part to legitimate home visits (for example, for a family member’s burial). However, they warn that future revocations could become far more frequent.
According to sources close to the migration authority, Bamf is awaiting a directive from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) to resume blanket revocation reviews that were halted in January 2023. Since then, revocation reviews have only been conducted when the Bamf has a specific trigger, such as a criminal offence or a home visit. If Dobrindt authorizes regular checks, the agency would have to re‑examine hundreds of thousands of protection titles.
Currently, up to six hundred thousand Syrians hold protection status in Germany under the Geneva Convention or as holders of subsidiary protection. With the December 2024 end of the civil war in Syria, there may be an uptick in revocations over the coming months.
At the same time, the federal government and the Länder would need to be prepared to carry out regular deportations back to Syria-a task for which only a few return flights have been conducted to date. Hence the German authorities are keenly awaiting a visit from Syrian President Ahmed al‑Scharaa to Berlin. A meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had been scheduled for January but was postponed. According to the “Focus”, the visit is now planned for the end of the month, and it may include agreements on the return of Syrians. Dobrindt announced in early March that al‑Scharaa would visit soon, saying, “I expect the visit will be held in the near future”.
