Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has put on hold all pending applications from Syrian asylum seekers.

Officials say the political situation is so uncertain in Syria, that it is not possible to reach a proper decision about whether the country is safe or not.

At the moment 47,270 Syrians in Germany are waiting for an answer to their asylum applications. Those who have already been granted asylum are not affected.

Germany has the largest Syrian diaspora population outside of the Middle East, with about one million Syrians living in Germany.
About 700,000 are classed as refugees.