Europe facing uncontrollable surge of migrants as asylum applications hit 7 year high

Europe is facing an unprecedented amount of migrant applications, as figures reach an all time high.

More than one million applications for asylum in the European Union were lodged in 2023, with a large percentage coming from migrants from Syria and Afghanistan.

The figures, compiled by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA), found that Germany had the highest number of applications, with France second.

The report was published on Wednesday and sparked concern, with an application increase of 18 percent compared to 2022.

The EUAA found an increase since 2020, when travel resumed following the pandemic. Figures are similar to those in 2015 and 2016, when 1.3 million people fled during the civil war in Syria.

Germany received 334,000 asylum applications in 2023, with France receiving 167,000. Spain came in next at 162,000 applications, with Italy receiving 136,000.

In the EU as a whole, Syrians submitted 181,000 applications, followed by Afghans with 114,000. However, the number of applications from Afghans fell by 11 percent when compared to 2022.

Turkish nationals submitted 101,000 applications, an 82 percent increase on the previous year, most of them in Germany.

Not all applications submitted in the EU are approved. Syrians and Afghans were granted protection in 80 percent and 61 percent of applications, but under different statuses.

In most cases, Syrians were granted subsidiary protection, which allows them to remain in the country but with more obstacles to acquiring citizenship or obtaining a permanent residence permit.

Afghans, on the other hand, have generally obtained refugee status because of the persecution by the Taliban, which took power in 2021.

In total, the EU received 1.1 million applications in 2023.