The government will limit the influx of asylum seekers

The Netherlands is now experiencing a "refugee crisis" of unprecedented proportions. According to Secretary of State Van der Burg, the Ter Apel Refugee Reception Center has developed "an alarming and unacceptable situation requiring immediate solutions". The center is so overcrowded that asylum seekers are forced to sleep out in the open for weeks at a time. Prime Minister Rutte said he ashamed of the situation in Ter-Apel.

Big failure

The situation at the Ter-Apel refugee center is becoming more and more difficult. Hundreds of people are forced to sleep on the street for a certain time. For the first time in history, the international charitable organization Doctors Without Borders (Artsen zonder Grenzen, AzG) has launched its activities in the Netherlands. AzG representatives went to Ter Apel to help asylum seekers.

The government admits its failure in the policy of accepting refugees. When asked if this situation was the result of the mistakes of the authorities, Prime Minister Rutte replied: "Sure". However, he added that the situation is complex and cannot be taken unambiguously: "A lot of research can be done on this". In particular, one of the reasons for the crisis is that shelters were closed too quickly after the crisis in Syria. Rutte talks about "a lesson we must learn". 

Due to what will the influx of asylum seekers be limited?

The government has agreed on measures to limit the influx of asylum seekers. This restriction is part of a larger plan to streamline refugee admission policy. Like us wrote earlier, the Dutch government plans to tighten controls on migration.

Important! Asylum ban is not being considered by the government. Prime Minister Rutte stated at his weekly press conference that there can be no question of ending asylum, advocated by some parties in the House of Representatives. Secretary of State Van der Burgh emphasizes that a ban on asylum is impossible because "The Netherlands is not an island, and we are connected with the world community by international agreements".

The first way to limit the influx of refugees This is a temporary restriction on the possibilities of family reunification. Asylum seekers, after obtaining a residence permit, spend too long in refugee reception centers due to lack of housing, so the centers are overcrowded.

Refugees with a residence permit are no longer allowed to invite their family members to the Netherlands if they do not have housing. At the same time, according to international treaties, the Netherlands is obliged to ensure the possibility of family reunification. Therefore, if after 15 months of searching, housing is still not found, members of the refugee's family will still be able to obtain a visa. According to Secretary of State Van der Burgh, people will get a visa if they are eligible, but with a delay. This temporary measure could ease the pressure on refugee reception centers and give the IND more time to assess whether applicants are eligible for a residence permit. The review period will be from 6 to 15 months.

The second way to limit the influx of refugees - it's temporary Suspend the commitment to take in more than 1000 refugees from camps in Turkey every year. The Netherlands took on such an obligation as part of a deal between European states and Turkey to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis. This should result in 1000 fewer asylum seekers next year.

20 extra places for refugees to live

Along with restricting the influx of refugees, the government has instructed municipalities to organize 20 additional places for asylum seekers who have received residence permits to quickly leave the overcrowded centers. The municipalities will have to provide this living space in the coming months. Among other things, abandoned hotels and yachts will be used. Recall that in July we discussed news about the possible accommodation of refugees even on cruise ships.

In parallel, the government is allocating 15 million euros to organize an additional location for the reception of refugees. We are talking about a location for a short stay of asylum seekers, from which they will go to Ter Apel. Van der Burgh hopes the location will be ready no later than September 10, but he can't say exactly where it will be yet.