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IND also given more time for asylum applications in 2023

Last update: 7 February 2023

The IND will also be given 15 months to decide on asylum applications in 2023. Because the IND is receiving many more asylum applications than what it is equipped for, asylum seekers must wait longer for clarity about their future in the Netherlands. The IND is striving to determine as quickly as possible whether someone is entitled to protection.

In September 2022, the legal period was already extended from 6 to 15 months. Last week, the Minister for Migration informed the House of Representatives that this extension will also apply to applications submitted this year. 

Longer waiting times 

The IND has the capacity to decide on around 22,000 applications per year (excluding the Dublin and safe-country procedures). The number of applications is much higher than this. Consequently, asylum seekers unfortunately have to wait long, and an asylum procedure can take as long as 9 months to a year. 

Reporting interview

Last summer, the pressure on the asylum process resulted in the Aliens Police falling behind with the identification and registration of asylum seekers. Because this backlog was cleared rapidly, asylum seekers became eligible for a first interview (also called reporting interview) at a higher rate. A lot faster than the number of staff that could be deployed for these interviews in the short term. On average, asylum seekers now receive an invitation for a reporting interview 3 months after being interviewed by the Aliens Police. This is much longer than before. Currently, around 6300 asylum seekers are waiting for an invitation. 

To invite an asylum seeker, it must be known to the IND in which reception centre they are staying. Because asylum seekers can stay in different centres in a short period, this is not always easy in practice. This can be a reason why someone has to wait even longer for an invitation for a reporting interview. The IND is cooperating intensively with the COA to visit centres or invite asylum seekers who are staying there for a reporting interview. Everything is geared towards accelerating the reporting interviews. For instance, (temporary) staff are being recruited to hold these interviews. 

Their turn

After their reporting interview has taken place, asylum seekers have to wait half a year on average until the substantive part of the asylum procedure begins and a further interview takes place. Each quarter, the IND updates the average waiting times of various processes. It is extremely unfortunate that asylum seekers have to wait long, and sometimes even very long. Therefore, the IND tries to keep them informed as best as it can. So that they know they have not been forgotten and when it is their turn.