For the first time in over two decades, the government of Austria has deported more people than it received new asylum applications, following pressure from the populist right.
Figures released this month from Vienna have revealed that the first half of 2026 saw a 44 per cent decline in asylum applications compared to the same period last year, with an estimated 4,900 asylum applications being submitted between January and June, Kronen Zeitung reported.
In comparison, there were over 7,000 deportations and other removals of migrants during the first half of the year. This means that for the first time in over 20 years, the number of removals outpaced the number of new asylum applications, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said.
According to the government statistics, migrants from Syria and Afghanistan were the most likely to apply for asylum in Austria during the first six months of the year, both representing around a quarter of all applications.
However, only around one-third of Syrian applications have been accepted so far this year, compared with 67 per cent just two years ago. The government has also begun a voluntary repatriation scheme in June for Syrians living in Austria, but Karner said that it is too soon to tell how successful the programme will be.
In total, 27 per cent of all asylum requests were rejected outright in the first half of the year, compared to 16 per cent which were granted outright and a further 15 per cent received subsidiary protection upon first hearing. Iranians and Afghans were the most likely to receive asylum protection at 76 and 69 per cent approval, respectively.
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