German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that about 80% of the 900,000 Syrians currently in Germany should return home within three years. He added that well-integrated Syrians who wish to stay would be allowed to remain.

Mr Merz argued Syrians are needed to help rebuild their homeland and improve its economy, after a long civil war that killed nearly half a million people and caused widespread destruction ended with the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The war also prompted huge numbers of Syrians to flee the country, with Germany becoming a favoured destination. The German political leader’s idea is reportedly supported by Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Reducing migration in general and stepping up the return of migrants who are not entitled to stay have been priorities of the Merz government, which took office nearly 11 months ago.

In 2015, Angela Merkel suspended EU rules to allow over one million asylum seekers, primarily from war-torn Syria, into Germany to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. While the move earned international praise for its compassion, it triggered a significant domestic political backlash and led to an eventual tightening of European border controls.

During the interim president’s first visit to Germany, Mr Merz said Germany’s first priority is to send back to Syria migrants who have committed crimes.

“We have a small group here, but a group that causes us problems, of Syrians who have offended whom we now urgently want to repatriate,” he said at a news conference.

“In the longer perspective of the next three years, that […] was the wish of President al-Sharaa, about 80% of the Syrians currently living in Germany should return to their homeland,” he added. “We have an interest in those who live here, want to stay and are well-integrated […] that these people stay in Germany. But many who are here are needed at home.”

Many of those who arrived in Germany from Syria, which still hosts more than 900,000 citizens last year, have gained German citizenship in recent years.

Mr Al-Sharaa did not confirm the 80% figure, but noted that the many Syrians in Germany include “6,000 doctors working in hospitals, and more than a quarter of a million people who pay taxes and contribute actively to the German economy,” describing them as “common national assets” to the two countries.

“Therefore, we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a circular immigration model that allows skilled Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their motherland without giving up their stability and the lives they built here, for those who wish to stay,” he said.