EMN Netherlands Annual Overview: ‘the strictest asylum policy yet’ and the European Pact on Migration and Asylum

The new cabinet's ‘strictest asylum policy yet’ largely dominated political and public debate in 2024. The Asylum Crisis Act, the two-status system, and the penalties imposed on the COA for overcrowding at Ter Apel were frequently discussed. The number of (first) asylum applications fell in 2024, as did the number of regular residence permits granted.

> Read the full 2024 annual review of the European Migration Network Netherlands

In 2024, the new cabinet of Schoof focused on a strict asylum policy and a more selective and targeted labour migration policy. In addition to the political and social discussions on asylum, the debate in the Netherlands also focused on, among other things, the termination of the government contribution to the National Foreign Nationals Facility, intercountry adoption, moderate population growth, and the advantages and disadvantages of internationalisation in higher education. On 14 May, the European Union's (EU) Pact on Asylum and Migration was officially adopted by the Council of the EU. At the end of 2024, the Netherlands submitted its national implementation plan for the Pact to the European Commission.
 

A number of important developments and trends in 2024

Legal Migration

• Implementation of the revised European Blue Card Directive.
• Termination of the special scheme for Asian restaurant workers..
• New legal basis for fraud investigations into sham relationships (family migration).

International Protection (Asylum)

• Changes to the credibility assessment of asylum applications.
• Changes to the assessment of asylum applications on the basis of political conviction, the security situation in a country of origin, and identification with the fundamental value of equality between men and women.
• Introduction of a decision and departure moratorium for Lebanon and Syria and termination of the moratorium for Sudan and the Palestinian territories.

Ukraine 

• Acceleration of the temporary protection procedure.
• Entry into force of the Temporary Act on the Reception of Displaced Persons from Ukraine (TWOO)
• Termination of temporary protection for people from non-EU/EFTA countries who had a temporary residence permit in Ukraine before the outbreak of the war.

Integration

• Renewal of the final requirements of the integration exam.
• Introduction of travel expenses for status holders to travel to the municipality of their integration programme.
• Adjustment of the hotel and accommodation scheme to accelerate the transition of beneficiaries of international protection to permanent housing.

Border management and visa policy

• Adoption of the (mandatory) national strategy within the framework of European integrated border management.
• Pilot project for digital travel documents at Dutch airports.
• New legal basis for the use of biometrics in automatic border controls.

Human smuggling and irregular migration 

• New measures from the Calais Group.
• The Netherlands joins the EU proposal for a “Global Alliance against Migrant Smuggling”.
• A stop made to searching the phones of detained irregular migrants without permission, due to lack of legal basis.

Return

• Extension of long-term cooperation with the international Organisation for Migration and adjustment of financial support for reintegration.
• Obligation to specify a specific country in every return decision, even in cases of uncertainty about nationality.
• Tightening of the rules on the detention of migrants.