Netherlands no longer Europe’s top country for granting asylum approvals

The Netherlands is no longer the European country where the most asylum requests are granted, according to figures from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), as reported by De Telegraaf.

In the past twelve months, only 35 percent of first-time asylum applications received a positive decision. A few years ago, that percentage was still above 80 percent.

According to Eurostat figures, the Netherlands now ranks in the European middle range, in 14th place. In contrast, almost all asylum applicants in Estonia receive a residence permit, although that involves only about 100 people per month. In Cyprus, which processes a few hundred applications monthly, almost none are approved.

With two weeks remaining in the year, the number of asylum requests in the Netherlands is approaching 44,000. A spokesperson for the IND said the decline is due to multiple factors, including improved security conditions in countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. As a result, people from these countries are less likely to be granted asylum. The IND is also applying stricter scrutiny to individual cases.

Since the summer of 2024, the IND has been using a new assessment method. Asylum seekers must increasingly demonstrate that they face personal danger if returned to their home countries.

"More attention is being paid to the risk an individual applicant faces upon return," the IND said.

The rise in rejections also raises questions about what happens to people who do not receive a residence permit. For years, the government has sought to ensure that more rejected asylum seekers leave the country, but this does not always succeed.

This year, of the 17,510 registered unwanted foreigners, the Netherlands is certain that about 60 percent have left the country, either forcibly or voluntarily with government assistance. The fate of the remaining individuals is unclear. "For these persons, it cannot be determined whether they have left the Netherlands or gone into hiding," the Repatriation and Departure Service said.