EU subsidies at the IND: this is what we do with them

Dublin Liaisons

This project focuses on strengthening and improving cooperation between the EU Member States. By working closely together with liaisons, it will be easier to exchange information quickly among the Member States and in this way to process requests for international protection more efficiently. Thanks to the financial support from the European Union, by doing so we can also help to bring about a fair distribution of responsibilities among the Member States.

Digital ID document for asylum seekers 

Thanks to the financial support from the European Union, we as the IND are developing a digital identity document. In the future this will enable a safer, more efficient and effective identity check of migrants. We are developing a special app for this. Another aim of this pilot project is to determine the form, acceptance and risks/opportunities of a digital identity document. By integrating advanced technologies, we expedite the verification of identity documents. This contributes to a smother course of all kinds of processes in which identity checking is necessary, such as entry processes. 

Geographic Information Centre

EU subsidies have enabled the IND to acquire a new Geographic Information System (GIS) for better investigations of origin. By using detailed maps and geographical data we are able to analyse specific regions to better understand the safety situation or social and economic circumstances in a country. This should result in better informed decisions on asylum applications. We are of course not doing this alone: important EU partnerships are being set up on the basis of the GIS project.

Training pool for document experts

Thanks to the important subsidies we as the IND receive, we will be better able to enhance our expertise in document examination and analysis even further. We do this with a training pool for document experts. In this way we provide for a uniform approach to the assessment of documents. The training courses focus on the newest technologies and methods of document analysis. In this way we aim to detect fraud and forgery of documents effectively and by doing so provide for an ethical migration process.

Strengthening expat centres

The aim of this project is to improve the services provided to highly skilled migrants and students from outside the EU in the Netherlands, for example by way of comprehensive support and information provision. The expat centres act as one-stop shops (services provided by different cooperating parties at one time and at one location) for highly skilled migrants, enabling them to gain easy access to essential services and information on housing, working and integrating in the Netherlands. The centres also organise events and workshops that facilitate the integration of highly skilled migrants. Outreach days are organised for foreign students during the summer peak so that they will be able to have their residents documents available in time. This is an important project that is possible thanks to financial support from the European Union.

Borders and security

From Europe legislative proposals have been made that must be implemented in the Netherlands in the next few years. The purpose of these regulations is to strengthen border control and the internal security of the Schengen Area and the Member States of the EU and to combat illegal immigration, organised crime and terrorism. For this purpose existing systems will be adjusted and new systems built. Thanks to the BMVI subsidy from the EU. it is possible for the IND to make important links for this from its own systems in order to exchange digital information with the other EU Member States.

Digital document analysis in the visa process

Within the visa process increasingly more attention is being paid to digitisation and acceleration. The purpose: to process visa applications in the most client-friendly way possible, with a high security level. In that context the processing of digital or digitised items of evidence is a considerable challenge. It requires a new manner of fraud detection, for which the IND uses new techniques such as image recognition, machine learning and automation. Thanks to the financial support the Document and Identity Office (in Dutch: Bureau Documenten), together with the National Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), has been able to continue developing and adapting the 'VisualDoc' application for use in the visa process. The application helps the examination of source documents and supports the document experts with digital analyses. The pilot project is in progress together with Belgium, Finland, Germany and Slovenia.

Computer modules for assessment of documents

EU subsidies enable the IND to work on additional computer modules that support the IND in checking whether source documents, such as an identity card or birth certificates are authentic or not. The Document and Identity Office, together with TNO, developed modules before that help with the assessment of source documents under the supervision of an expert. Because the number of documents that the IND checks continues to rise, we are continuing to innovate in this regard. In Horizon-Europe-EINSTEIN the IND is working on new modules. EINSTEIN is a group of 21 partners from 11 European countries, including technical businesses and research organisations, all of which are occupied with combatting document fraud on the basis of their own expertise.

These projects together help the IND to improve its migration and integration services even more. Do you want to know more? (Only in Dutch)
•    Find out more about the AMIF subsidy
•    Find out more about the BMVI subsidy 
•    Find out more about the Horizon subsidy