Germany considering paying Syrians $9,300 to return home – media
The payments currently offered to migrants willing to repatriate voluntarily could increase eightfold, according to Focus
The German Interior Ministry is considering offering Syrian refugees up to €8,000 ($9,300) to return home voluntarily, Focus magazine reports, citing government sources. The proposal comes as support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been campaigning heavily on migration concerns, reaches record highs.
Germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy.
More than 951,000 Syrians were living in Germany as of August 2025, according to the Interior Ministry’s data. Over 500,000 hold temporary residence permits tied to refugee or subsidiary protection status, while the number voluntarily returning to Syria remains relatively low, Focus reported on Wednesday.
Roman Poseck, the interior minister of the central German state of Hesse, argued that even tens of thousands of euros given to each refugee to go home would be worth it in the long run since otherwise, much more would have to be spent on accommodation in Germany. Under the current system, voluntary return payments average around €1,000 ($1,163).
“Support payments in the four-figure range or sometimes even in the lower five-figure range would often still be a gain for the state when measured against the long-term costs of social benefits,” he told Focus.
Berlin is now rejecting 95% of all new asylum applications by Syrians, German media reported last month. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in March that up to 80% of Syrians living in Germany could return home over the next three years, later attributing the claim to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who denied making the statement, calling the figure exaggerated.
Merz, who was recently rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, is facing growing pressure from the right. The AfD has emerged as Germany’s most popular party, surpassing the chancellor’s Christian Democratic Union in terms of public support, according to a poll last month. The right-wing party came out on top despite a boycott by all mainstream parties and accusations of extremism by its critics.
11 thoughts on “Germany considering paying Syrians $9,300 to return home – media”
On one hand germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy. But at the same time more than 951,000 Syrians were living in Germany as of August 2025, according to the Interior Ministry’s data.
The fact that germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy really puts things into perspective.
The fact that merz, who was recently rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, is facing growing pressure from the right really puts things into perspective.
Basically more than 951,000 Syrians were living in Germany as of August 2025, according to the Interior Ministry’s data. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
On one hand berlin is now rejecting 95% of all new asylum applications by Syrians, German media reported last month. But at the same time merz, who was recently rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, is facing growing pressure from the right.
The bigger issue here is the German Interior Ministry is considering offering Syrian refugees up to €8,000 ($9,300) to return home voluntarily, Focus magazine reports, citing government sources. That changes the calculation.
Considering the German Interior Ministry is considering offering Syrian refugees up to €8,000 ($9,300) to return home voluntarily, Focus magazine reports, citing government sources, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
The bigger issue here is germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy. That changes the calculation.
Reading that berlin is now rejecting 95% of all new asylum applications by Syrians, German media reported last month — hard to argue with the logic there.
On one hand germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy. But at the same time more than 951,000 Syrians were living in Germany as of August 2025, according to the Interior Ministry’s data.
The fact that germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy really puts things into perspective.
The fact that merz, who was recently rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, is facing growing pressure from the right really puts things into perspective.
German Interior has been vocal about this, good to see them staying on it.
Basically more than 951,000 Syrians were living in Germany as of August 2025, according to the Interior Ministry’s data. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
German Interior has been pushing this agenda for a while now.
On one hand berlin is now rejecting 95% of all new asylum applications by Syrians, German media reported last month. But at the same time merz, who was recently rated Europe’s most unpopular leader, is facing growing pressure from the right.
The bigger issue here is the German Interior Ministry is considering offering Syrian refugees up to €8,000 ($9,300) to return home voluntarily, Focus magazine reports, citing government sources. That changes the calculation.
Considering the German Interior Ministry is considering offering Syrian refugees up to €8,000 ($9,300) to return home voluntarily, Focus magazine reports, citing government sources, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
The bigger issue here is germany was one of the main destinations for Syrians fleeing the civil war during the 2014-2015 migrant crisis, after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted an open-door migration policy. That changes the calculation.
Reading that berlin is now rejecting 95% of all new asylum applications by Syrians, German media reported last month — hard to argue with the logic there.