Agency Report –
Germany is handing out payments to Syrian refugees who are returning home to help them cover the costs of the journey and make a new start in the war-torn country following the fall of the Assad regime, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Families planning to return can apply for a one-time payment of up to €4,000 ($4,123) at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), while individuals are eligible for a maximum of €1,000, a spokesman said.
Syria was added back to Germany’s REAG/GARP 2.0 scheme on January 13, which is designed to support migrants planning to voluntarily return to their home country or migrate to another country.
Some 975,000 Syrian citizens currently live in Germany, most of whom were forced to flee home amid the country’s civil war that broke out in 2011, according to the Interior Ministry.
Following the fall of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, some German conservative and far-right politicians were quick to call for Syrian migrants to return, with others swiftly rejecting those demands in light of Syria’s uncertain future.
