Charities urge Home Secretary to resume Syrian asylum claim decision-making

Refugee charities have told the Home Secretary of their “deep concern and opposition” to the pause on asylum application decisions from Syrians following the collapse of the Assad regime.

Urging Yvette Cooper to resume her department’s processing of those claims, the organisations said they “feel strongly that it is far from clear that Syria is safe for those who have or are seeking sanctuary”.

The Home Office confirmed the temporary suspension of decision-making on Monday, with Ms Cooper saying events in Syria led to a “very fast-moving situation that we need to closely monitor”.

The Assad regime

Ms Cooper also told Parliament “many” claims had been made “against the Assad regime for asylum, which is clearly not in place”.

She told MPs: “It would therefore not be appropriate to be granting asylum decisions on those cases in the current circumstances.”

She added that the Government was continuing to monitor the “evolving situation so that we can get new country guidance in place and so that we can take those decisions”.

In their letter, the charities said: “The Foreign Office continues to advise against all travel to Syria, ‘due to the ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions’, all British Embassy services in Damascus remain suspended, and as things stand there has been no return of British diplomats to Syria.

“We feel this shows the British Government’s acknowledgement that Syria is not yet a safe place, and therefore asylum claims should not be suspended.”

Signatories to the letter included Care4Calais, Refugee Action and King’s College London.

Limbo

Lou Calvey, director at Asylum Matters, the charity which coordinated the letter, said Syrians hoping for sanctuary in the UK have been “thrown into limbo”, by the pause.

She added: “At what should be a time of hope for Syrian communities in the UK, the impact on their mental health and wellbeing will be horrendous.

“Suspending all claims from one nationality group sets an alarming precedent that undermines the universal right to seek sanctuary.

“The 700-plus organisations and individuals, including many Syrian groups in the UK, who’ve signed this letter, are simply asking that Syrian people keep the rights we all deserve: to have their claims considered, not to be forced back to a country against their will, and to be able to work and live independently.”

The latest figures showed that 5,548 Syrians applied for asylum in the UK in the year to September 2024 – the highest number for any 12-month period since current data began in 2001.

Outstanding claims

On Tuesday, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle said there are 6,500 asylum claims from Syrians still outstanding.

Separately, Dame Angela also said earlier this week that the potential return of British jihadists to the UK is “a matter of great concern” following the collapse of the Assad regime.

She said intelligence services are “keeping a very, very close eye” on the situation on the ground, and the UK is in touch with allies, amid concerns that jihadists held in prisons in northern Syria could be freed from jails and camps there.

A counter terrorism policing spokesperson said the threat posed by UK nationals trying to return from areas of overseas conflict “is something planned for and managed” and that, alongside intelligence partners, counter terror police “use the wide range of measures and powers available to us to mitigate this threat”.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Office has paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims whilst we assess the current situation.

“We keep all country guidance relating to asylum claims under constant review so we can respond to emerging issues.”