Overview of the of the main changes since the previous report update

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The previous update of the report was published in July 2025.

International protection

Asylum procedure

• Key asylum statistics: 16,668 applications were lodged in 2025, yet another decrease of more than 30% compared to 2024 (25,000). The top three countries of origins of applicants in 2025 were Afghanistan (31%), Syria (27%) and Somalia (6%). In 13,171 cases international protection or humanitarian status were granted at first and second instance combined. The in merit protection rate stood at 65%. 12,562 cases were pending at first instance on 31 December 2025. On average, the regular procedure lasted 9.3 months as of December 2025. In 2025, about 25% of decisions challenged were dismissed or amended by the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG) (see Statistics).
• Access to the territory: an internal protocol of the Ministry of Interior from February 2025 highlighted indications of unlawful rejections conducted by the German police at the German-Austrian border. Meanwhile, Hungary and Austria continued to cooperate through “Operation Fox”, which was extended to the end of the 2025. Austria still did not have a resettlement programme in 2025, with the last one ending in 2019, and did not commit to any resettlement, humanitarian admission or emergency admission for 2026-2027 under the EU Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan (see Access to the territory and push backs).
• Legal assistance: The 2025 report of the Qualitätsbeirat highlighted growing concerns about the implementation of the reform of the Common European Asylum System and its impact on access to independent, high-quality legal assistance. Notably, the report emphasised the protection gap affecting unaccompanied minors, with the Board repeatedly calling for immediate guardianship arrangements from the first day of a child’s arrival in Austria. The report also warns that potential revocation procedures for protection statuses, especially concerning Syrian nationals, could significantly increase pressure on courts, authorities, and legal counselling services while creating legal uncertainty for affected individuals (see Regular procedure – Legal assistance).
• Dublin transfers to Greece: In February 2025, the Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal against a Dublin decision regarding Greece. Without providing reasons, it confirmed the BVwG’s assessment that conditions for applicants in Greece are improving, a notable decision given longstanding findings of systemic deficiencies in Greece and recent ECtHR jurisprudence concerning pushbacks and risks of chain refoulement (see Dublin – Suspension of transfers).
• BIP transfers to Greece: In 2021 and 2023, the Constitutional Court (VfGH) issued decisions considering that BIPs could face a risk of violation of Article 3 ECHR in the case of a return to Greece, owing to insufficient examinations into access to food, shelter, sanitary facilities, and access to basic care. In February 2025, however, the VfGH allowed transfers, finding conditions had improved – a view criticised by stakeholders for lacking clear evidence. More recent rulings then showed differentiation by vulnerability and evidence, with some rejections concerning people in a vulnerable situation being quashed, while revisions were dismissed in non‑vulnerable cases. In two rulings of 17 March 2026, the High Administrative Court reaffirmed returns to Greece. Citing the EU principle of mutual trust and the European Commission’s April 2025 view that mainland Greece no longer shows systemic weaknesses, it found that while reports note administrative obstacles, they do not establish a general risk of extreme material need for recognised refugees. These rulings drew criticism among NGOs and legal aid providers, who, based on current country reports, consider the Court’s assessment unconvincing (see Suspension of returns for beneficiaries of protection in another Member State).
• Unaccompanied children: In 2025 only 572 unaccompanied children applied for asylum, and 473 procedures of unaccompanied children were discontinued due to the disappearance of the children involved. This represents 82.5% of all UAM who applied for asylum in 2025 (see Legal representation of unaccompanied children).
• Resumption of deportations to Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia: following cooperation discussions with the Taliban administration, despite them being categorised as a terrorist organisation by the Austrian Supreme Court, Austria resumed deportations to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban takeover in October 2025. 3 people were deported by the end of 2025 and deportations continued on an individual basis in 2026. Similarly, in early 2025, Austria’s Interior Ministry moved to restart removals to Syria, and the first deportation took place in early July 2025. The individual then went missing, prompting a complaint to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. 3 people had been deported to Syria by end of 2025. In early 2025, Austria also announced the resumption of deportations to Somalia after nearly two decades (see Differential treatment of specific nationalities in the procedure).

Reception conditions

• Reception facilities: In 2025, transfers to facilities of the federal states were faster than in previous years, largely because there were fewer asylum applicants than in previous years. However, in 2025, as in previous years, many provincial facilities across Austria were closed, making it more difficult to allocate asylum applicants promptly and adequately due to lack of capacity. In 2025, 4,044 asylum applicants were transferred to the provinces. A federal centre in Carinthia was also closed down in 2025 following the decline in asylum applications (see Reception Conditions).
• Cost rate increase: in September 2023, there was a conference of the regional refugee councils where it was decided to increase the maximum cost rates for vulnerable groups. A further increase in the regular rate was rejected, as well as one for private benefits, and individual benefits. The federal states implemented the new daily rates over the course of 2025 (see Reception Conditions).
• Benefits-in-kind card: The introduction of the benefits-in-kind card (Sachleistungskarte) started at the beginning of the summer of 2024. In 2025, the system was rolled out to all beneficiaries of basic care in Upper Austria, including displaced persons from Ukraine. In 2025 the federal states of Salzburg and Styria announced plans to introduce the benefits-in-kind-card. The rollout initially covered those in organised housing and was later extended to those in private housing. The transition is expected to be completed by mid-2026. While some issues have been resolved, such as the ability for the card to take SEPA direct debits, others remain. Payments such as rent, electricity and so on are only possible by bank transfer, and these can be done via an app or the benefit card’s website via the authorities or the basic care provider, creating difficulties for a few people who do not have a smartphone or have difficulties with digital administrative procedures. The pluxee card was rolled out to the entire province of Lower Austria from September 2024, however displaced persons from Ukraine and private residents are still excluded as of April 2026 (see Forms and levels of material reception conditions).
• Reception of unaccompanied children: In April 2025, asylkoordination österreich published a comprehensive report on the situation of unaccompanied and accompanied child refugees in Austria. With regard to accompanied child refugees, the report emphasised that the living conditions in private homes are often cramped and the hygienic conditions are not adequate. It also mentioned that the children themselves and their needs are not always covered or handled adequately. The frequent lack of daily structure for parents or mothers/fathers due to their status as asylum seekers and the associated psychological stress also place a heavy burden on the children (see Reception of unaccompanied children).

Detention of asylum seekers

• Detention in view of Dublin transfer to Italy: After the general suspension of Dublin transfers by the Italian government in 2022, no Dublin returns from Austria took place between December 2022 and 2025. In April 2026, counselling organisations informed asylkoordination österreich that possible Dublin returnees were put into the detention. The authorities justified this by stating that Italy has signalled that it will change its policy after the CEAS reform will be put into practice on 12 June 2026 (see Detention of Asylum Seekers).

Content of international protection

• Long term resident status: 5,927 BIPs obtained a long-term resident status in 2025, compared to 1,773 in 2024. The sharp increase is the result of the initiation of withdrawal procedures by the BFA following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria at the end of 2024, with people fearing a withdrawal procedure and thus applying for long term residence. In cases where the international protection has been granted more than five years ago, a withdrawal procedure can only be started after a long-term residence status is granted by the responsible settlement authorities (see Long-term residence).
• Cessation and withdrawal procedures: In 2025, 12,039 cessation and withdrawal procedures of the asylum status, including more than 8,200 withdrawal procedures initiated concerning Syrian nationals, mainly based on the authority assuming that circumstances had changed significantly. As of 31 December 2025, 11,769 cessation and withdrawal procedures were pending at first instance. As of December 2025, the BFA had ceased and withdrawn asylum status in 2025 in 1,958 cases. In parallel, the BFA initiated a total of 1,785 (2024: 1,014) cessation/withdrawal procedures in 2025 regarding subsidiary protection beneficiaries. In 2025, in 390 cases cessation of asylum status was followed by the granting of subsidiary protection (2024: 7), and in 97 cases a status on humanitarian grounds was granted (2024: 66). Subsidiary protection was withdrawn in 535 cases in 2025 (see Cessation and review of protection status).
• Suspension of family reunification: In June 2025, an amendment to the Asylum Act was introduced that enables the Minister for Interior to issue a decree allowing the government to suspend family reunification procedures in case of a threat to public security. In July, a decree entered into force suspending all family reunification procedures except in cases where reasons originating from Article 8 ECHR do not allow a suspension of the procedure. The government defended the regulation primarily by invoking overburdened schools, yet has taken no corresponding measures in the education sector. Numerous NGOs also argue that the government failed to substantiate any genuine threat to public order and safety. The decree was renewed at the start of 2026 for another 6 months. In combination with the massive initiation of revocation procedures (see below), the measure has already had a significant impact, as the number of applications and approvals for family reunification has markedly decreased since its entry into force. In April 2026, several NGOs and professors submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission against Austria’s suspension of family reunification for refugees, arguing that it constitutes a serious breach of EU law and undermines core principles of the European legal order (see Family reunification).
• Family reunification proceedings in case of a revocation procedure: Prior to the formal suspension of family reunification mid-2025, a de facto restriction had already emerged through administrative practice, in particular by systematically initiating asylum cessation proceedings against sponsors (“reference persons”) residing in Austria. In a landmark decision of January 2026, the Constitutional Court clarified that family reunification cannot be automatically precluded solely on the basis of pending revocation proceedings. According to the Court, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights requires that the court, in entry proceedings, take into account both the grounds for initiating the revocation procedure and its expected duration (see Family reunification).

• Family reunification for subsidiary protection beneficiaries: an important clarification was provided by the Constitutional Court in its judgment of 16 December 2025. In this decision, the Court departed from its earlier, more formalistic approaches and held that an application for family reunification submitted before the expiry of the statutory three-year waiting period under § 35(2) AsylG 2005 may not be rejected solely on the basis that the waiting period has not yet elapsed. Instead, the Court required a constitutionally compliant interpretation of the provision, mandating an individualised balancing of interests in light of Article 8 ECHR. This entails that the competent authorities – and, crucially, the BVwG – must assess the concrete circumstances of the case, including the intensity of family life, the duration of separation, and the proportionality of continued exclusion, even where the statutory waiting period has not formally expired (see Family reunification).

• Mandatory integration programme: On 28 May 2025, the mandatory integration programme was presented. Until the time of writing, it has not yet been implemented. Displaced persons, BIPs and asylum seekers with a high probability of recognition are to receive individual support for three years as part of a case management programme and complete tailored modules on the German language, gainful employment and self-sufficiency, and values. Those who refuse to participate in the programme or do not actively engage in it are to face sanctions (reduction of benefits, administrative penalties). In November 2025, it was announced that values and orientation courses for BIPs would be expanded to five days instead of three. Additional requirements have further been introduced in some federal provinces in the last years. These include an integration contract and participation to integration measures (see Employment and education).

Temporary protection

The information given hereafter constitute a short summary of the Annex on Temporary Protection in 2025, for further information, see Annex on Temporary Protection.

Temporary protection procedure

• Key statistics: According to unpublished information by the office of the Refugee coordinator, around 141,007 persons (62.8% female, 37.2% male) have been registered as displaced persons from Ukraine since March 2022 and as of 31 December 2025. As of 31 December 2025, 92,453 have a valid displaced person status. In 2025, 103 Ukrainian nationals applied for asylum in Austria.
• Extension of temporary protection: Following the TPD being prolonged until March 2027, the Displaced persons Ordinance was automatically prolonged until 4 March 2027. An application for renewal is not necessary: ID cards for the beneficiaries have been sent out automatically since the beginning of November 2025 to all those with a main residence registration in Austria.
• Closure of first arrival centres and emergency beds: First arrival centres and emergency beds designed for Ukrainians were closed in 2025 in Innsbruck, Salzburg, Graz and Nenzing. Currently, there is still an arrival centre in Vienna and emergency beds are offered in Linz. While the arrival centre in Nenzing closed by the end of September 2025, there is still a possibility to apply for basic care via counselling centre from Caritas. For emergency situations e.g. regarding vulnerable groups a 24/7 hotline is available for system partners, such as the police.
• Accommodation for people in a vulnerable situation: The number of places in the framework of increased care needs was already significantly too low before the arrival of displaced persons from Ukraine. There are insufficient places for people with disabilities, elderly people with and without care needs, chronically ill people as well as people with psychological and/or physical disabilities. This continued to be an issue in 2025.

Content of temporary protection

• Limitation of rights to basic care: as of January 2025, a new rule has been implemented and Ukrainian cars are now considered an asset and are included in the means test for basic care. Therefore, in general it is no longer possible to own a car and receive basic care benefits. Moreover, as of 1 August 2025, Ukrainian pension payments in Vienna are deducted from basic care benefits in accordance with the additional allowance (€110) and the 65:35 allowance rule. Ongoing efforts on the part of the Ukrainian refugee coordination unit with regard to the non-crediting of the Ukrainian pension in other provinces have so far not been fruitful.
• Limitation of rights to family allowance: due to the protracted negotiations on the formation of a new federal government following the elections in autumn 2024, the poor budgetary situation and the political orientation of the new Minister for Integration and Family Affairs, family allowance was only extended to 31st October 2025, even though temporary protection status (at this time) had been extended till March 2026. Since 1 November 2025 displaced persons from Ukraine must now prove their (self-)employment or registration with the Public Employment Service (AMS) when applying for the family allowance or childcare allowance. The entitlement to family benefits is currently limited to 30^th June 2026. Overall, the new regulation has been a significant bureaucratic burden for the authorities, the displaced persons and the employment service. Everyone had to submit a new application from 1st November 2025. At present, many applications are still pending at the tax office and payments are delayed.
• Right to health care: Displaced persons from Ukraine who were not granted basic care used to be covered by the automatic health insurance under Z21 (ASVG §9 Inclusion Ordinance). However, as of 31 May 2025, this automatic health insurance Displaced persons from Ukraine now have the option to obtain self-insurance or obtain a co-insurance with a family member, who is employed. Persons in financial need can still apply for basic care and health insurance would be provided through the basic care system. Health insurance is not limited to emergency medical care. Displaced persons are exempt from prescription fees for medication and co-payments for medical aids or hospitalisation.