Twenty-three Syrian citizens, four families and an individual, have arrived in Slovenia from Turkey as part of an EU-sponsored permanent resettlement project. A group of 27 Afghan nationals is expected in Slovenia at the end of January 2024, the Interior Ministry said on 15 December, a day after the Syrian group arrived.

Permanent resettlement is to create legal routes to Europe for people in need of protection. The refugees will be accommodated in the facilities run by the government Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants.

Slovenia will receive funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for each person resettled.

The government adopted a decision a year ago to accept 50 Syrian and Afghan nationals from Turkey, who can be granted refugee status in Slovenia. This was followed by the preparation of an implementation plan, which prioritised families, single mothers, single women and up to five unaccompanied minors.

Slovenia cooperated with the UNHCR in the project. Based on their documentation, Slovenian representatives interviewed refugees in Turkey, including on their eligibility for refugee status. They also carried out security checks.

Subsequently, a final selection of 50 persons who met all the conditions was made, and they will be immediately granted refugee status on arrival in Slovenia.