The Ministry of the Interior released new figures on the asylum situation on Thursday – and they are hard. It is calculated that 71,885 asylum applications were made in Austria from January to September. That is a threefold increase compared to the previous year. In September alone, there were more than 15,000 requests – that would be more than 500 a day. But even with procedures rejected and halted, the records seem to be tumbling.
The current data from the Ministry of the Interior at a glance:
- From January to September, 71,885 asylum applications were lodged in Austria. According to the ministry, this is an increase of 200 percent compared to the previous year.
- At the same time, this year saw a record number of rejected and abandoned asylum applications, namely 40,299 – “and thus more than half of the number of asylum applications”.
- In the period from January to September 2022, 14,606 accelerated procedures for people from India, Pakistan, Morocco and Tunisia were negatively closed. That is a fourfold increase compared to 2021.
In general, Gerhard Karner’s (ÖVP) Interior Department expressly emphasizes via broadcast that “more and more applications are being made by people who come for economic reasons and therefore have practically no chance of asylum”. As in July and August, most applications in September were from iIndian nationals.
More than half rejected or accepted
That’s why there is now a “focus on expedited procedures” – most of which can be performed within 72 hours. More than half of the applications this year have already been rejected or stopped: 40,299.
Tent construction continues
Yet refugee tents are still being set up in the country. For example, Thursday afternoon on the grounds of the Wiesenhof police school in Absam (Innsbruck-Land district). There will be twelve tents, each with room for eight people. Once the tents are set up, people should move in – probably from Friday.
The Federal Support Agency (BBU) admitted that these campgrounds were “not ideal accommodation.” The people housed there would probably have to use the police academy sanitary facilities. Many people “have not yet realized that federal shelters are not enough,” said BBU spokesman Thomas Fussenegger.
The Tyrolean Social Affairs Minister Gabriele Fischer (Greens) already spoke of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
