No significant rise in Iranian asylum applications in March, as EU+ caseload remained low

Press Release EU+ countries received around 59,000 asylum applications in March 2026, broadly in line with the lower levels recorded since December 2025. Despite the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, Iranian nationals lodged only around 800 applications. Iranians thus remain outside the main applicant groups, with no indication of a sustained or large-scale increase. Venezuelans and Afghans were the largest applicant groups, while Syrian applications remained far below previous levels.