AS many as 720,000 Syrians who sought refuge in Germany during the 14-year-long civil war will be forced to return home.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the situation had “changed fundamentally” after the fall of the Assad regime and that “the need for protection must therefore be reassessed”.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa address the media during a press Conference in BerlinCredit: Getty
An officer of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) escorts a group of migrants near Forst, eastern Germany on October 11, 2023, during a patrol near the border with PolandCredit: AFP
German police check people arriving from France at the German-French border on September 16, 2024 in KehlCredit: Getty
“In the longer perspective of the next three years, that … was the wish of President al-Sharaa, about 80 per cent of the Syrians currently living in Germany should return to their homeland,” the leader said during a press conference in Berlin with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“We have an interest in those who live here, want to stay and are well-integrated – that these people stay in Germany.
“But many who are here are needed at home.”
Syrians who no longer have “a valid residence rights” will take “initial priority,” Merz added.
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Al-Sharaa did not confirm the 80 per cent figure.
He noted that Syrian refugees in Germany include “6,000 doctors working in hospitals, and more than a quarter of a million people who pay taxes and contribute actively to the German economy.”
He described them as “common national assets” to the two countries.
“Therefore, we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a circular immigration model that allows skilled Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their motherland without giving up their stability and the lives they built here, for those who wish to stay,” al-Sharaa said.
Both Merz and Sharaa admitted that some Syrians would stay in Germany – but did not break down the figures.
As of late 2024, nearly one million Syrians resided in Germany, making it the largest Syrian diaspora in Europe.
Around 712,000 have been granted official refugee status or temporary protection, and about 244,000 of them have received a German passport.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, revealed last year that at least 1.2million Syrians have voluntarily returned from neighbouring countries since December 2024.
Franziska Brantner from Germany’s opposition Green Party stressed that many Syrians are “deeply anchored” in Germany.
Blasting Merz’s repatriation goal as “reckless,” Brantner added: “For many people, returning to Syria is simply not an option at all.”
In the UK, the Labour government is also working to bring down the number of refugees arriving through the Channel.
It comes as taxpayers will fork out a further £16 million to extend a highly criticised deal to fund French migrant patrols.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is holding out for a better deal, which could include incentives for French cops to stop more attempted crossings.
According to the latest figures, just a third of boats are stopped by police across the Channel despite the £475 million agreement signed in 2023.
Senior Labour MP, Dame Emily Thornberry triggered backlash among her own colleagues earlier this week after arguing against immigration reforms.
She insisted that Sir Keir Starmer should “think again” about his plans because they would stop 90,000 foreign children receiving taxpayer funded handouts.
Hitting back at the plea, Labour MP for North Durham, Luke Akehurst, told The Sun: “Controlling immigration remains the main issue raised with me by my constituents in North Durham.
“Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood‘s common-sense reforms are important measures to reduce the pull factors that make the UK more attractive to migrants than other comparable countries.
“With our public finances under strain we cannot afford to award the welfare rights accorded by Indefinite Leave to Remain to millions of people who migrated here.”
Supporters of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hold Syrian flags as they gather on the day of his visit, in Berlin, Germany March 30, 2026Credit: Reuters
Flags with al-Sharaa’s face unfurled in BerlinCredit: Getty