Syrian asylum seekers could face deportation from Britain in the wake of Assad’s fall, the Daily Mail has learned.
The Home Office is exploring various options to address the situation involving numerous Syrian nationals, many of whom have arrived in the country via small boats crossing the Channel, claiming to have fled the previous regime.
Compulsory removals are one possibility being examined, Home Office sources said.
However, enforced removals are only likely to be possible if the situation in Syria stabilises.
Additionally, the government is assessing the feasibility of implementing a voluntary repatriation program, modeled after existing initiatives, to incentivize Syrians to return to their home country.
A source from the Home Office stated, ‘If Syria is deemed safe, we will consider all available options and approach it like any other secure nation.’
‘It could be a voluntary returns scheme and there are also various deportation options.’
About 6,500 Syrian asylum claims awaiting a decision from the Home Office were put on hold on Monday.
Syrian asylum seekers could face deportation from Britain in the wake of Assad’s fall, the Daily Mail has learned
Many Syria asylum seekers arrived in the country by a small boat across the Channel – pictured is a dinghy carrying around 65 migrants
The Home Office is considering a range of options to deal with thousands of Syrian nationals
Between January and September, almost 2,900 Syrians arrived in the UK by small boat, according to official figures.
In the year to September, 3,888 Syrian asylum claims were granted by the Home Office, on top of 5,149 in the previous 12 months.
The most recent grant rate during that period – the proportion of decisions which led to asylum or another form of humanitarian protection being granted – was 99 per cent, and one of the highest of any nationality.
Existing voluntary returns schemes offer free flights and up to £3,000 per person in ‘financial support’.
It came as immigration minister Angela Eagle said the Home Office wanted to ‘facilitate’ the return of any Syrians who wish to return to their homeland.
‘We have suspended our consideration of the current asylum claims – about 6,500 – until we can see what emerges from the current situation,’ Ms Eagle told Times Radio.
‘If people wish to go home we’d certainly like to facilitate that, but I think it’s too early to say what will emerge from the events that have happened in the last few days.’
One source said the Home Office was unlikely to reassess tens of thousands of Syrians granted refugee status in recent years.
Syrian Association in Denmark demonstrates, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, at City Hall Square, in Copenhagen, Denmark December 8, 2024
A man has his face painted with the opposition flag as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels, in Istanb’s Fatih district on December 8, 2024
An opposition fighter passes by a government forces tank which was left on a highway in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
Any moves to ‘claw back’ asylum status would be likely to lead to legal challenges, the insider said.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick renewed his call for immediate removals of Syrian asylum seekers and predicted would-be refugees in Britain would change the basis of their claims to reflect the new situation in their home country.
The former Tory immigration minister said: ‘This crisis will reveal the abuse of our asylum system.
‘Expect the basis of asylum claims to change as individuals try to game the system.
‘The Government should be immediately removing Syrians whose asylum claims are now groundless.’
Yesterday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned that countries should continue to accept asylum claims from Syrians.
Spokesman Shabia Mantoo said it was ‘acceptable’ to suspend the processing of claims while the situation in Syria remains uncertain, ‘as long as people can apply for asylum and are able to lodge asylum applications’.
She added that there should be no deportations of Syrians because it would ‘violate’ rules which prevent officials sending asylum seekers back to countries where they may face danger or ill-treatment, a principle known as ‘refoulement’.
‘No asylum-seeker should be forcibly returned, as this would violate the non-refoulement obligation on states,’ Ms Mantoo said.
The UNHCR was one of the principal opponents of the previous Conservative government’s Rwanda asylum deal, and put forward evidence in the UK courts that relocated migrants could face refoulement.
