The number of asylum applications also decreased in October and November. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, 9,893 people applied for asylum in Austria in October, 46 percent fewer than in the same period last year – preliminary figures for November are similar. A total of 53,641 asylum applications were submitted until October this year, a decrease of 42 percent compared to the first ten months of 2022.
The ministry said there had been a significant decline, especially in Burgenland. In this state, police reported no arrests for several days.
Reasons given by the Ministry of the Interior for the decline in numbers include consistent checks at border points and border areas in Austria, as well as the deployment of Austrian police officers to combat smugglers’ routes abroad. There would also be international initiatives, such as visa requirements for Indians and Tunisians in Serbia, as well as new return agreements with India or Morocco and cooperation in border protection in countries bordering the EU.