Universal Periodic Review

Reinforce the capacity of the Federal Office for Immigration to process refugee claims of asylum seekers, ensuring that the principle of non-refoulement is observed at all times

Proponent:

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

In September 2023, there were almost half as many asylum applications in Austria compared to 2022. Applications for international protection in Austria are made exclusively in Austria, as applications cannot be submitted to Austrian representation authorities abroad. As a result, many refugees have to come to Austria without a visa and therefore illegally, as it is almost impossible to obtain an entry visa for Austria or another EU member state. This illustrates that although refugees have a fundamental right to an asylum procedure, actual access to this right is often restricted in practice.   After entering Austria (legally or illegally), refugees must submit their asylum application to a police station. The initial interview takes place in special offices of the provincial police directorates and is conducted by interpreters or language experts. Asylum is granted in accordance with the Asylum Act of 2005 and is aimed at people who are persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular ethnic or social group or their political convictions. The recognition rate varies greatly depending on the origin of the asylum seeker. There is also subsidiary protection, which is granted to people whose asylum application has been rejected but whose life or health is at risk in their country of origin. In cases of particular hardship, humanitarian residence permits can also be granted.   Public opinion in Austria is critical of asylum seekers from Muslim countries of origin such as Afghanistan, Syria and Tunisia. According to a survey in spring 2023, 61 per cent of Austrians rated living together with refugees as bad. The disparity between apprehensions and accepted asylum applications is particularly striking in November and December 2022, when only 0.6 per cent of those who entered the country were able to apply for asylum. There are calls for the right to asylum and lawful access to the asylum procedure to be guaranteed, as well as the establishment of independent human rights monitoring at German borders. Disciplinary consequences for those responsible, compensation and the right to re-entry for those affected are also called for (joint press release of 30 May 2023 by Pushback Alarm Austria, Border Violence Monitoring Network and the Bavarian Refugee Council: https://www.asyl.at/files/uploads/446/23-05-30-pm-pushbacks-an-bayerischen-grenzen-1.pdf).