"Tears of joy streamed down Abdulhkeem Alshater's face as he joined thousands of other Syrian nationals in central Vienna last year. The moment they were marking felt like a miracle: after more than five decades of brutality and repression, the Assad regime had fallen. A day later, however, the ripple effects of what had happened 2,000 miles away in Syria were laid bare."
"In Austria, where Alshater had spent the past decade painstakingly rebuilding his life learning German, upgrading his professional certifications and raising his family the government said it had ordered a review of cases where asylum had been granted to Syrians and that a programme of orderly repatriation and deportation was being prepared. It's alarming and disappointing, said Alshater, who heads the Free Syrian Community of Austria, a group that supports Syrian newcomers and helps them build bridges with Austrian officials and the wider society."
Tears of joy followed the fall of the Assad regime as Syrians abroad celebrated what felt like a long-awaited change. Several European countries announced suspensions of Syrian asylum applications and measures treating refugees as transients. Political pressure to appear tough on migration collided with regime change, plunging Syrians worldwide into uncertainty. Austria ordered reviews of granted asylum cases and prepared programmes for orderly repatriation and deportation. Syrian residents in Austria had invested years learning language, upgrading qualifications and integrating into society. Austria temporarily suspended family reunification for refugees, disproportionately affecting Syrians, and proceeded to return at least one Syrian with a criminal conviction.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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