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Accountability Day: busy year for the IND reflected in the annual financial figures

Last update: 17 May 2023

With the higher influx of asylum seekers and the protection of Ukrainian displaced persons, 2002 was a busy year for the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). Thus is reflected in the annual financial report of the Ministry of Justice and Security, of which the IND forms part. The report was presented to the House of Representatives on Accountability Day, Wednesday 17 May.  

It was noticeable in the annual financial figures of the IND that the income and expenditures were higher than estimated in 2022. The financial expenditures during  2022 amounted to 603 million euros rounded off. The income was 578 million euros.

Higher influx of asylum seekers costs more money

Most of the expenses the IND incurs are for the staff. That is a fact, because operating a service is based on human efforts. In 2022 extra staff members were recruited and trained to deal with the substantial increase in applications and also to prepare for the years to come. It was necessary as well to hire extra temporary staff. 

In 2022 the IND was faced with increased wages and prices and the costs of handling applications. These include higher travel expenses and higher costs for interpreters and translators. Partly because of this the IND has meanwhile received an extra budget from the Ministry. 

In 2022 the increase in the number of asylum applications was so high that the IND was not able to decide on all asylum applications within the statutory decision period. This resulted in incremental penalty payments. In 2022 3.4 million in incremental penalty payments were made.

Impact of the war in Ukraine 

The outbreak of the war in Ukraine had a huge impact on the work of the IND. In total 68 thousand Ukrainian refugees were provided with proof of residence. The costs of these extra efforts were for materials, stickers for passports, renting locations and security and transport. For these activities extra temporary workers and extra interpreters were deployed. The IND has received an additional 7 million euros to cover the costs of materials.