9,420 Syrians seek asylum in Europe in April 

Syrian refugees onboard an overcrowded dinghy jump onto a beach on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean sea from Turkey, August 9, 2015. - REUTERS
Syrian refugees onboard an overcrowded dinghy jump onto a beach on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean sea from Turkey, August 9, 2015. - REUTERS

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In April, 72,630 first-time asylum applicants applied for international protection in EU countries, representing 34 percent increase compared with April 2022. Most of the first-time asylum applicants were Syrians and Afghans, Eurostat  reported on Tuesday.

Eurostat published this information in the monthly asylum data.

As in the previous months, in April 2023, Syrians were the largest group of people seeking asylum with 9,420 first-time applicants. They were followed by Afghans with 7,405, ahead of Venezuelans, Colombians and Turks.

In April, Germany, Spain, France and Italy received the highest number of first-time asylum applicants, according to the report.

In addition, the report highlighted that 2,625 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in the EU, mostly from Afghanistan with 895 and Syria with 685.

The EU countries which received the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in April were Germany, ahead of the Netherlands and Austria.

Reporting by Emma Jamal