Syrian asylum applications remain high despite Assad's fall
The number of Syrian asylum seekers coming to the Netherlands remains high, despite the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. In December, the same month Assad's regime collapsed, 1,569 Syrians applied for asylum, accounting for nearly half of all asylum applications received by the Netherlands, De Telegraaf reported.
Among those applications, 724 were first-time requests, similar to the previous month. This indicates that the individuals arrived in Ter Apel, where their asylum procedures began. There may be a delay in the processing of these applications due to the long travel times to reach the Netherlands.
In the wake of Assad's fall, Migration Minister Marjolein Faber (PVV) announced a “temporary decision halt” on Syrian asylum applications. For the next six months, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) is reportedly supposed to refrain from making decisions regarding Syrians, allowing the Netherlands time to assess whether Syria has truly become safe to return to. If it is deemed safe, many Syrians may no longer be eligible for asylum in the Netherlands.
While decisions on asylum requests are on hold, new Syrian asylum seekers still have the right to receive shelter in one of the Netherlands’ asylum reception centers (AZC). Currently, more than 18,000 Syrians are awaiting decisions in these centers. Of the 1,500 new Syrian applications in December, more than 800 were requests for family reunification. These applicants seek to join a family member who already resides in the Netherlands with refugee status.
The temporary decision halt does not apply to those seeking family reunification, also known as "nareizigers." Faber has promised to explore whether this process could be temporarily frozen, but international agreements may make such a move difficult.
“Everyone has the right to family life,” says Refugee Work (Vluchtelingenwerk), summarizing the international treaties to which the Netherlands is bound. Under these agreements, a refugee granted protection in the Netherlands has the right to bring their spouse and children to the country.
The waiting period for family reunification is long. Last year, the IND took an average of 92 weeks to process a family reunification request. As Syrians have been the largest group of asylum seekers for several years, many thousands of family members could still be eligible for reunification.
Currently, 66,000 people are waiting for a family reunification decision, according to the IND. This includes verifying family relationships, not the safety of the country of origin. Last year, 86 percent of family reunification requests were approved.
As new Syrians continue to arrive, the political discussion in The Hague has shifted toward convincing some to voluntarily return to Syria. Forced returns are not possible, as the country must first be officially designated as safe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on an updated report regarding the situation in Syria.
In the meantime, the Return and Departure Service (DT&V) has recently begun offering 900 euros in cash to Syrians who choose voluntary permanent return. This offer applies to those who end their asylum procedure or relinquish their temporary residence status after signing an agreement. The payment is not available for short-term visits to family members.
