Some 75,500 spots needed for asylum seekers next year; 90,000 refugees expected through 2024

At the beginning of next year, 61,200 reception spots will be needed for asylum seekers, which will grow a need for 75,500 reception spots by the end of 2023, according to the latest forecasts from the Ministry of Justice and Security. The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) calls the assignment "substantial" and says that the capacity problem can only be solved in close cooperation with the central government and municipalities.

The COA says that the number of asylum applications is increasing and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) cannot keep up with the influx. As a result, people stay longer in the shelter. "In addition, it is expected that a larger proportion of asylum seekers have a high chance of obtaining a residence permit and then need a home in the current tight housing market," according to the COA.

In addition, if policies remains unchanged, the number of asylum applications will rise to 50,650 in 2023, according to a forecast from State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Asylum Affairs). For this year, 48,200 applications for asylum are being submitted. Both numbers are higher than previously expected.

The COA expects the pressure on the reception locations to remain high for the foreseeable future. "It is clear that the growing need for care is not solved with new temporary locations." Including closures of the temporary locations, 37,000 additional reception spots will be needed by the end of next year.

Van der Burg wrote that the growth in the number of asylum applications is largely due to the number of relatives, family members of refugees who are allowed to stay in the Netherlands. "If we do nothing and the policy remains unchanged, we will therefore need more places," Van der Burg said.

The IND and COA have been instructed by Van der Burg to recruit additional staff. Partly in view of the shortage on the labor market, this cannot be arranged overnight, Van der Burg notes. "This means that new and creative solutions must be looked at together," the COA said of the staff shortage.

This weekend, coalition parties will likely agree on a new law that should lead to better distribution of asylum seeker reception throughout municipalities, according to insiders after reporting by the NOS.

The coalition parties will probably agree this weekend on the new law that should lead to a better distribution of the reception of asylum seekers across municipalities. This is reported by insiders after reporting by the NOS.

On Saturday, Van der Burg will present an amended version of the law. There is a "good chance" that all parties would agree, one source told the NOS. It is "quite possible" that an agreement will be reached this weekend, according to another source.