More than 23,000 asylum seekers cross Austrian border over weekend

At least 23,700 migrants crossed into Austria over the past weekend, Austrian authorities revealed Monday.

The figures were revised upward from earlier estimates, authorities initially having stated that 11,000 of the asylum seekers had crossed the Austrian border in the east and south of the country, which are now believed to have in fact been 13,000 people.

On Sunday, a further 10,700 were said to have crossed into the state of Burgenland alone. The majority of these were concentrated in the border town of Nickelsdorf, now a major hotspot for migrants crossing via Hungary.

Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported that about 300 asylum applications are being made each day, a figure that has recently doubled, particularly since Germany made the decision to tighten border controls on the Austrian border. Measured from the beginning of September, 5,120 applications were made.

The government has recently introduced a 14-day deadline for asylum seekers, during which they must fill out a form to hand in to authorities or be faced with deportation.

Along with a notification that the individual has entered the country illegally, they must also answer a number of questions including the reason for their illegal entry into Austria, whether they have any family presently in Austria, and the situation in their countries of origin. Endit