Influx of asylum seekers lower than expected; Shelters still overcrowded

The government expects a maximum of 68,000 asylum seekers to come to the Netherlands this year - less than the previous forecast of 76,000 in April, NOS reports based on the Multi-year Production Forecast that will be presented in the Council of Ministers today.

The government expects the total number of asylum seekers, excluding Ukrainian refugees, to amount to between 45,000 (lowest forecast) and 60,000 (middle forecast) in 2023, according to NOS.

The document also states that the asylum reception facilities are still overcrowded. There are about 60,000 shelter places in the Netherlands. About 16,000 are occupied by refugees - asylum seekers who received residency in the Netherlands and are waiting to move into a home. That is a painstakingly slow process, given the Netherlands’ housing shortage.

“The number of asylum seekers is still high, and the flow and outflow are lagging behind what is necessary,” the document states, according to NOS.

Over the past month, there have been several nights that asylum seekers had to sleep in IND waiting rooms because no beds were available for them.