Austria's 2025 Asylum Report: Applications Down 33%, Deportations Resume, Rights Restricted

Austria's 2025 AIDA Country Report details developments in asylum procedures, reception conditions, detention, and international protection, alongside an annex on temporary protection.

In 2025, Austria received 16,668 asylum applications, a 33% decrease from 25,000 in 2024. Main origins were Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia. 13,171 international and humanitarian protections were granted (65% in-merit rate). Border cooperation with Hungary via ‘Operation Fox’ extended to end-2025. Concerns arose over potential unlawful rejections by German police at the Germany-Austria border and the impact of CEAS reforms on legal assistance, particularly for unaccompanied children. Austrian courts increasingly upheld transfers to Greece despite previous ECHR Article 3 violation risks. Austria resumed deportations to Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia, with three individuals deported to Afghanistan and three to Syria. One person deported to Syria was later reported missing, leading to a UN complaint.

Reception capacity was limited by facility closures despite fewer applicants. The ‘Benefits-in-kind’ card expanded but posed issues for those with limited digital access; displaced Ukrainians and private housing residents in Lower Austria were excluded. A report highlighted inadequate living conditions for refugee children. No Dublin transfers to Italy occurred between late 2022 and 2025, but detentions began in April 2026 anticipating Italy's resumption of transfers.

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, nearly 6,000 beneficiaries of international protection (BIPs) gained long-term resident status in 2025. Authorities initiated over 12,000 cessation/withdrawal procedures, with more than 8,200 concerning Syrians. Austria restricted family reunification in 2025, suspending most procedures citing public security and overburdened schools, a move criticized by NGOs. Constitutional Court rulings in late 2025/early 2026 reaffirmed individual assessment for family reunification. A mandatory integration program for displaced people, BIPs, and high-likelihood asylum applicants was announced, with sanctions for non-participation.

For temporary protection, 141,007 Ukrainians were registered as displaced between March 2022 and December 31, 2025, with 92,453 holding valid status by year-end. Access to basic care for displaced Ukrainians was restricted by including cars in means-testing and deducting Ukrainian pension payments in Vienna. Since November 2025, employment proof is required for family and childcare allowances. Automatic health insurance for those not receiving basic care ceased in May 2025, making self-insurance or family co-insurance necessary, though exemptions for prescription fees and co-payments remain.