The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Dame Angela Eagle)
Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Home Office paused all Syrian asylum interviews and decisions, as announced to Parliament on 11 December 2024. This pause extended to settlement protection applications from Syrian nationals, including those who were brought to the UK under the Syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme and have completed their five years of refugee status. During this period, we continued to register all Syrian applications.
This was a necessary step while there was no stable, objective information available to make robust assessments of risk on return to Syria. The Home Office has worked to lift the pause as soon as there was sufficient information to make accurate and well-evidenced determinations.
Today the Government will publish updated country information, which will enable decision making to resume. With this, protection claims can be processed and safe return reviews conducted in line with published policy for any Syrian nationals applying for settlement protection.
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