Cologne City Court rejected the appeal filed by a Syrian asylum seeker against the rejection of his asylum application, ruling that he is no longer subject to persecution by the Assad regime or by the current authorities in Syria. Moreover, he is eligible to receive support from the voluntary return program designated to assist Syrians returning to their country.
The court ruling stated that the asylum seeker’s family—including his wife, father, and three siblings—resides in the Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria, a region administered by a democratic local authority that does not persecute its inhabitants. As a result of the ruling, the young Syrian man is now subject to deportation if he refuses voluntary return. To remain in Germany, he must appeal the decision before the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine–Westphalia.
The young Syrian man entered Germany in 2023 and applied for asylum with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. However, the office rejected his application in April 2025, citing the changed circumstances in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December of the previous year, and notified him that he could face deportation.
According to the ruling of the Cologne Administrative Court, the asylum seeker is not facing “living hardship,” as he could have lived with his family free of charge. He has also become eligible to benefit from the voluntary return program, which provides both financial and in-kind support, and he can take advantage of the improved economic situation in Syria to secure employment that would generate sufficient income to cover the cost of living.
This ruling supports the new approach adopted by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in examining asylum applications submitted by Syrians. Before the fall of the Assad regime, the office had accepted Syrian asylum claims almost automatically; however, the government’s policy toward Syrian asylum seekers has shifted since the regime’s collapse. Asylum seekers must now prove that they face persecution and are at risk if returned to their country. Germany is also working to expand deportations to Syria and is actively encouraging and supporting voluntary return.
