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IND uses lessons from Task Force to improve organisation
Last update: 25 May 2022
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) will include lessons learnt by the Asylum Applications Task Force in its change assignment for the organisation. The Task Force was evaluated by the investigation agency Anderson Elffers Felix (AEF). In doing so, we elaborate further on the improvements that were started after a report by EY about bottlenecks in the functioning of the IND from July 2021.
In April 2020 the former Minister for Migration formed a Task Force to eliminate the backlogs in the processing of asylum applications. This concerned 15,350 cases in total. The Task Force was discontinued on 1 July 2021, after which the remaining cases were transferred to the IND. The AEF evaluation focused in the division of task of the Task Force and the lessons that can be learnt from this. The investigators also incorporated the findings of the Inspectorate of Justice and Security (IJenV) and the contents of interim evaluations of the Task Force in their investigation.
Recommendations
Based on the work of the Task Force, AEF made a series of recommendations in its report, which the IND has already largely dealt with. AEF concluded that a project-based approach to eliminate backlogs or to process applications by a specific group more quickly proved to be valuable in order to provide a large number of asylum seekers with clarity and to make innovative choices.
With respect to management, AEF drew attention to the importance of central planning. In this respect, the IND works in the form of a ‘traffic tower’ in order to improve management of the influx, staff capacity and the amount of work. By way of strategic work scheduling, the IND strives for more of a grip on the deployment of staff. The recruitment and training of new staff members takes great priority, although the IND also notices the consequences of scarcity on the labour market. In addition, they are considering the investigation of outsourcing and written interviews, an innovation of the Task Force. In doing so, among other organisations, the Dutch bar is involved via a working group.
Valuable
DG IND Rhodia Maas is pleased with the points of reference that the AEF report offers for improving the work processes of the IND, in which a quick and careful processing of applications is first and foremost. Rhodia Maas: “The AEF report provides valuable insights for our organisation. Certainly now when we are faced again with an increased influx of asylum seekers, because of which they have to wait longer for a decision by the IND. We incorporate the lessons of the Task Force in improvements used to make the IND future-proof. We already took this path with the EY report of last year.”