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The IND has processed 18,000 additional asylum applications

Last update: 1 August 2024

Between May 2023 and mid-July 2024, the Immigration and Naturalization Service processed just over 18,000 additional asylum applications. These were the applicants who, based on the country policy followed, had a high chance of protection in the Netherlands. With this target group approach, the IND was able to process applications more quickly and on a project basis. In addition, the Service used other methods to carry out the asylum procedure, such as conducting interviews at reception locations and having applicants schedule their own appointments for their interview at the IND. The IND uses the experiences from this project to increase productivity for all asylum applications.

The project to accelerate the asylum process ran from May 2023 to August 1, 2024. More than a fortnight before the end date (July 11), the IND processed a total of 18,060 applications within this project. Most of them came from people from Syria (15,480). The other applications came from Yemenis (1,850) and stateless persons from Syria (740). Among more than 18,000 decisions were the decisions on the applications from 3,040 unaccompanied minor aliens (AMV).

Number of outstanding applications 

The IND aims to prevent the number of outstanding applications from increasing any further and to provide the applicants with clarity about their applications sooner. One of the measures implemented last year was to process promising applications on a project basis. The IND gives priority to applications from the asylum seekers with nationalities that have little chance of obtaining an asylum permit, such as Algerian and Moldavian applicants. Because the number of the applications was still much higher than the IND was set up for, applicants have to wait for quite some time. At the moment, just over 49,000 asylum applicants are waiting for a decision from the IND. The average waiting time for the general asylum procedure is over a year.

Experience contributes to structural increases in productivity 

Several changes and improvements were implemented within the project, whereas working smarter and technical innovations supported each other. For example, applicants were able to schedule an appointment online themselves and in some cases, they could also travel to the hearing location independently. Some of the applications were processed using a written procedure and an IT solution was developed to automatically distribute cases among the employees. By conducting interviews at the reception locations where applicants are staying, employees could be deployed more flexibly. In addition, the presence of the IND employees at these reception locations made the organization visible. Both the applicants and chain partners experienced this as positive.

In the coming period, the lessons from the project will be used to work smarter more broadly within the organization and to simplify work where possible. This should contribute to higher productivity of the IND in the coming years.