Malta has joined several other European countries in suspending the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, after the downfall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
The announcement from the Home Affairs Ministry follows similar moves from Germany, Greece and the UK.
According to the president of the NGO Syrian Solidarity in Malta the Syrian population in the country soared from a few hundred before civil conflict in 2011 to around 6,500 by 2022.
Out of the 600 asylum requests last year, 119 were from Syrian nationals - the highest of all the countries listed followed closely by Bangladesh, according to figures from the European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said the International Protection Agency – responsible for asylum applications –had “temporarily suspended the examination of pending and new asylum applications for international protection by Syrian nationals.”
The move came following “recent significant events in Syria,” the statement read, in reference to a lightning offensive by Syrian rebels that saw the fall of Baath rule last week after five decades in power.
The ministry said the agency “will continue to assess the evolving situation with the aim of resuming the processing of such applications in the shortest time possible.”
It said it had taken the decision to suspend applications to “properly assess the evolving situation, since at present it is not possible to properly assess applicants’ reasons for seeking international protection.”
Anticipating the move in a statement earlier on Tuesday, NGO Syrian Solidarity in Malta expressed its concern at other European countries announcing suspensions of asylum applications.
“We would like to remind the international community that many Syrians in Malta have put down deep roots: we have children born in Malta, businesses operating here and strong familial and social ties to this country,” the statement read.
The NGO stressed that transforming the political landscape in Syria following the overthrow of al-Assad would require “adequate time and careful consideration,” with much of the country’s infrastructure destroyed during the conflict.
“We make an appeal to the Maltese public, who have generously extended hospitality to and support to us over the years, to remain open-minded and understand the situation we are facing,” the organisation said.
Responding to the wave of application suspensions on Tuesday, Amnesty International urged European nations to reverse the decisions, calling the situation in Syria “extremely volatile.”
“At this time of turbulence and change, countries should avoid plunging Syrian refugees and people seeking asylum into situations of further uncertainty and precarity”, the organisation said.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said such suspensions were only acceptable as long as Syrians were able to continue applying for asylum and lodge asylum applications.
“Syrian asylum-seekers who are waiting for a resumption of decision-making on their claims should continue to be granted the same rights as all other asylum-seekers, including in terms of reception conditions”, the agency said.
“No asylum-seeker should be forcibly returned, as this would violate the non-refoulement obligation on States.”
It added it would provide guidance to states on international protection for Syrians once conditions in the country were made clear.
Last week saw Islamist-led rebels sweep across the country, capturing Damascus Sunday and sending al-Assad fleeing to Moscow, with Russia saying it had granted the ousted leader asylum “on humanitarian grounds.”
And while Syria has seen widespread celebrations - including in Malta - trepidation remains about what might follow al-Assad's brutal regime; the rebels, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), emerged as an affiliate of al-Qaeda and have been designated a terrorist organisation by the UN, US and UK.