Greece recorded a sharp rise in asylum revocations after the government launched a sweeping review of protection statuses granted in recent years.
The Ministry of Migration and Asylum reassessed thousands of cases in recent months to determine whether the conditions for maintaining asylum still applied. The review began last summer under orders from Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris.
The minister announced that authorities would revoke more than 1,000 asylum permits by the end of the first half of 2026, marking a record number of withdrawals.
Review based on specific criteria
Speaking in Parliament, Plevris clarified that asylum did not constitute a permanent status. He stated that authorities would re-examine all cases based on specific criteria rather than by name. Officials would assess whether an asylum holder had been arrested, had been involved in cases affecting public order, or originated from countries now considered safe.
He stressed that authorities would revoke asylum in cases where these conditions applied. “Our message is clear: if someone no longer faces danger in their country of origin, we will revoke asylum and return them,” he said, describing the approach as central government policy.
Last week in Rome, during a four-party meeting between Greece, Italy, Spain and Pakistan, Plevris informed his Pakistani counterpart that Greece had already begun reassessing recognised refugees of Pakistani origin residing in the country. Authorities also initiated procedures to withdraw asylum statuses previously granted where legal conditions permitted.
Syrians, Egyptians, Iraqis and Pakistanis remained at the centre of potential revocations. Authorities argued that following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the grounds for asylum in some cases no longer applied. Pakistan also now appears on the list of safe countries.
However, recent tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan raised questions over whether Pakistan would continue to qualify as a safe country. Ministry sources said it was too early for Europe to respond or to remove Pakistan from the safe list.
Record numbers
The stricter approach significantly increased revocation figures. Between 2013 and 2020, authorities recorded just 19 revocations of international protection status. Between 2021 and 2025, that number rose to 583. Officials recorded 196 revocations last year alone, while they had already initiated 47 additional cases for 2026.
In late October, following observed irregularities, the Asylum Service issued a circular under ministerial instruction providing guidance on revocations. The directive stated that if a recognised refugee obtained travel documents and visited the country from which they had claimed persecution, authorities would treat this as strong evidence that the individual no longer faced danger. Such cases would trigger procedures to suspend international protection status.
Official data showed that from 2013 through January 2026, Greece received 592,049 asylum applications. In January 2026 alone, applicants filed 5,212 claims. Minors accounted for 19 per cent of applicants, while 65 per cent were aged 18 to 34 and 16 per cent were aged 35 to 64.
Authorities issued 2,214 positive decisions in January, granting refugee status or subsidiary protection at first and second instance. Of those, 65 per cent concerned citizens of Afghanistan and Sudan.
