Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment they have made of the reasons for delays in processing applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain under the Settlement Protection route for Syrian nationals.

On 11 December 2024, the Home Office paused all decisions on Settlement Protection applications from Syrian nationals whilst we assessed the country situation.

This was a necessary step while there was no stable, objective information available to make robust assessments of risk on return to Syria. We resumed decision-making on 14 July 2025, following the publication of updated country information.

It has been a long-standing position that safe return reviews must be conducted when considering settlement protection applications. The Home Office is in the process of writing out to applicants to gather further evidence where it is required. Applications are being considered in chronological order based on the date of application. Due to the substantial cohort of cases, approximately 3,500 in total, the department requires some time to address the outstanding applications.

The Home Office is considering applications based on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.  Due to the significant change in the country’s situation, there could be instances where further evidence may need to be gathered to assess these applications and determine if there is an ongoing need for protection.

Applicants may be required to complete an interview, in order to provide information to progress claims and support a decision.  In a small number of cases, applicants who have completed their interview may be required to provide additional information, where insufficient evidence upon which to make a decision is available.

In line with our international obligations, we will not remove anyone to their own or any other country where they have a well-founded fear of persecution or are at risk of serious harm.