New asylum seekers will be put up in tents, justice ministry officials say
4 years, 9 months ago

New asylum seekers will be put up in tents, justice ministry officials say

Dutch News  

There will be emergency accommodation for asylum seekers arriving in the Netherlands after all but the Ter Apel reception centre in Groningen will remain closed to new arrivals, justice ministry officials say. On Sunday, the ministry said that new refugees arriving in the Netherlands will not be admitted to official residential centres from Monday because of the coronavirus threat. Junior justice minister Ankie Broekers-Knol said she expected numbers would be limited because refugee numbers have been going down. Last week, some 400 refugees, including family members in the Netherlands under reunification schemes, were placed on the official registry, according to justice ministry figures.

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History of this topic

Asylum applications in Netherlands decline for first time in four years
4 days, 8 hours ago

Asylum applications in Netherlands decline for first time in four years

NL Times  

The total number of asylum applications in the Netherlands dropped in 2024, marking the first decline in four years, according to figures released by the Ministry of Asylum and Migration, Trouw reports. The decline is not limited to new asylum seekers arriving at the reception center in Ter Apel but also includes family reunification requests, repeat asylum applications from individuals …

Refugees were allocated 6% of social housing in 2021
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Refugees were allocated 6% of social housing in 2021

Dutch News  

Despite claims that refugees with residency permits are being given priority in social housing, they accounted for just 6% of new rent-controlled housing corporation tenants in 2021, according to research by national statistics agency CBS. That year, 169,000 housing corporation homes became available for new tenants and just under 10,000 were allocated to refugee families, the CBS said. In Alkmaar, …

Pressure on asylum reception remains high in 2024, additional places needed
1 year, 1 month ago

Pressure on asylum reception remains high in 2024, additional places needed

NL Times  

The reception of asylum seekers will remain under pressure in 2024, as there will be a high influx and too little outflow of status holders to regular housing. As a result, several tens of thousands of additional shelter places may be needed next year, according to the six-monthly Multi-Year Production Forecast that outgoing State Secretary Christophe van der Maat has …

Refugee forecasts revised down as fewer people come to NL
1 year, 2 months ago

Refugee forecasts revised down as fewer people come to NL

Dutch News  

The cabinet has lowered its forecast of how many refugees will come to the Netherlands in 2023 from 76,000 to a maximum of 60,000, broadcaster NOS reported on Friday. The 76,000 forecast in April led to crisis talks and calls for measures to reduce the flow of new arrivals, following last summer’s chaotic scenes when hundreds of people were forced …

Refugee forecasts revised down as fewer people come to NL
1 year, 2 months ago

Refugee forecasts revised down as fewer people come to NL

Dutch News  

The cabinet has lowered its forecast of how many refugees will come to the Netherlands in 2023 from 76,000 to a maximum of 60,000, broadcaster NOS reported on Friday. The 76,000 forecast in April led to crisis talks and calls for measures to reduce the flow of new arrivals, following last summer’s chaotic scenes when hundreds of people were forced …

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer
1 year, 3 months ago

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer

Dutch News  

Controversial legislation to ensure all local authorities have to provide a certain number of beds for refugees will now pass in the lower house parliament because a majority of MPs are in favour. Research published by RTL Nieuws a year ago showed that more than half of Dutch local councils have not provided any housing for refugees in the past …

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer
1 year, 3 months ago

Rules to spread refugees nationwide come a step nearer

Dutch News  

Controversial legislation to ensure all local authorities have to provide a certain number of beds for refugees will now pass in the lower house parliament because a majority of MPs are in favour. Research published by RTL Nieuws a year ago showed that more than half of Dutch local councils have not provided any housing for refugees in the past …

More young refugees arrive in Ter Apel, housing crisis continues
1 year, 3 months ago

More young refugees arrive in Ter Apel, housing crisis continues

Dutch News  

The number of young asylum seekers without parents at the Ter Apel registration centre in Groningen topped 350 earlier this week, almost seven times the number the location is equipped to deal with, settlement agency COA said. In total, 1,852 unaccompanied minors registered at Ter Apel in the first six months of this year, some 700 more than in the …

More young refugees arrive in Ter Apel, housing crisis continues
1 year, 3 months ago

More young refugees arrive in Ter Apel, housing crisis continues

Dutch News  

The number of young asylum seekers without parents at the Ter Apel registration centre in Groningen topped 350 earlier this week, almost seven times the number the location is equipped to deal with, settlement agency COA said. In total, 1,852 unaccompanied minors registered at Ter Apel in the first six months of this year, some 700 more than in the …

Calls for government to handle asylum as Ukrainian refugees stay
1 year, 4 months ago

Calls for government to handle asylum as Ukrainian refugees stay

Dutch News  

The Dutch central agency for the reception of asylum seekers has called for the caretaker government to push forward with a new law on spreading asylum seekers, as a group from Ukraine kept the right to stay. “It is simply a legal obligation that the Netherlands must fulfil, and at the moment we unfortunately do not have enough long-term places …

Calls for government to handle asylum as Ukrainian refugees stay
1 year, 4 months ago

Calls for government to handle asylum as Ukrainian refugees stay

Dutch News  

The Dutch central agency for the reception of asylum seekers has called for the caretaker government to push forward with a new law on spreading asylum seekers, as a group from Ukraine kept the right to stay. “It is simply a legal obligation that the Netherlands must fulfil, and at the moment we unfortunately do not have enough long-term places …

98% of accommodation spaces for Ukrainian refugees currently occupied
1 year, 5 months ago

98% of accommodation spaces for Ukrainian refugees currently occupied

NL Times  

Every week, approximately 700 to 1,000 Ukrainians fleeing from the war continue to arrive in the Netherlands. Jaap Donker, the director of the Utrecht Safety Region, who has been overseeing the accommodation of Ukrainians and the emergency sheltering of asylum seekers on behalf of all safety regions, stated that by January 1, 2024, 90,000 places should be available. In February, …

No end in sight to refugee bed crisis, thousands could be homeless: NRC
1 year, 11 months ago

No end in sight to refugee bed crisis, thousands could be homeless: NRC

Dutch News  

The Netherlands faces ‘social disruption’ if there is no speedy solution to the shortage of housing for refugees, the NRC reported on Friday, quoting internal documents from settlement agency COA, the IND immigration service and justice ministry. The documents make it clear there is ‘no end in sight’ and that the agencies fear a couple of thousand refugees could end …

No end in sight to refugee bed crisis, thousands could be homeless: NRC
1 year, 11 months ago

No end in sight to refugee bed crisis, thousands could be homeless: NRC

Dutch News  

The Netherlands faces ‘social disruption’ if there is no speedy solution to the shortage of housing for refugees, the NRC reported on Friday, quoting internal documents from settlement agency COA, the IND immigration service and justice ministry. The documents make it clear there is ‘no end in sight’ and that the agencies fear a couple of thousand refugees could end …

Asylum costs still out of control in the Netherlands after 28 years of warnings
1 year, 11 months ago

Asylum costs still out of control in the Netherlands after 28 years of warnings

NL Times  

The Dutch government has remained incapable of controlling the costs for the reception of asylum seekers because the system is constantly going through a cycle of being built up and broken down again, concluded the Court of Audit after an investigation. Moreover, State Secretary Eric van der Burg, who controls asylum policy for the Cabinet, and the Central Agency for …

Ministers hold closed-doors summit on refugee accommodation crisis
2 years ago

Ministers hold closed-doors summit on refugee accommodation crisis

Dutch News  

Senior cabinet ministers are meeting at the Catshuis on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing problems around the accommodation of asylum seekers. Prime minister Mark Rutte and the three deputy prime ministers from the other coalition parties will attend the talks in The Hague, along with asylum minister Eric van der Burg and justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz. Earlier in December a …

Ministers hold closed-doors summit on refugee accommodation crisis
2 years ago

Ministers hold closed-doors summit on refugee accommodation crisis

Dutch News  

Senior cabinet ministers are meeting at the Catshuis on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing problems around the accommodation of asylum seekers. Prime minister Mark Rutte and the three deputy prime ministers from the other coalition parties will attend the talks in The Hague, along with asylum minister Eric van der Burg and justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz. Earlier in December a …

Refugees relocated due to strong winds
2 years ago

Refugees relocated due to strong winds

NL Times  

The inhabitants of the Marnewaard temporary shelter for refugees in Zoutkamp, Groningen are being relocated to different facilities due to strong winds. “Because of the strong winds and the weather forecast from yesterday and the upcoming days, the safety in the pavilions is under pressure,” according to a spokesperson. To help ease the burden in Ter Apel, available places being …

Netherlands needs 20,000 more shelter spots for Ukrainian refugees
2 years ago

Netherlands needs 20,000 more shelter spots for Ukrainian refugees

NL Times  

The Dutch government believes that the number of Ukrainian refugees present in the Netherlands will continue to increase in the coming period. The Cabinet is considering having Ukrainians who earn an income help pay for their accommodation themselves, said State Secretary Eric van der Burg, who handles asylum issues for the Cabinet. Now that it looks like Ukrainian refugees will …

Mayors want one policy for sheltering all asylum seekers, incl. Ukrainians and Africans
2 years, 1 month ago

Mayors want one policy for sheltering all asylum seekers, incl. Ukrainians and Africans

NL Times  

Bring the management of the reception of Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers together, said chairman Hubert Bruls of the Security Council, the council of the mayors that head the Netherlands’ 25 security regions. The coordination of the reception of Ukrainians currently takes place via the security regions. If regular education is not possible and the only option is a good …

Dutch municipalities unsure how to handle a new influx of Ukrainian refugees this winter
2 years, 1 month ago

Dutch municipalities unsure how to handle a new influx of Ukrainian refugees this winter

NL Times  

The winter weather in Ukraine will continue to get colder in the coming week as the country struggles to make repairs after Russian attacks took out large portions of its energy infrastructure. Temperatures in Kyiv could fall below -8 degrees Celsius next week, prompting Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra to say the Netherlands will be ready to take more refugees …

100 beds found for young refugees, but 1,700 are needed
2 years, 2 months ago

100 beds found for young refugees, but 1,700 are needed

Dutch News  

The Netherlands’ 344 local authorities have come up with just 100 beds for young asylum seekers who arrived in the country without parents, following an appeal in October for 1,700. Without more beds, there is a ‘real risk’ that some youngsters may end up sleeping on the streets, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg warned at the time. Refugee …

100 beds found for young refugees, but 1,700 are needed
2 years, 2 months ago

100 beds found for young refugees, but 1,700 are needed

Dutch News  

The Netherlands’ 344 local authorities have come up with just 100 beds for young asylum seekers who arrived in the country without parents, following an appeal in October for 1,700. Without more beds, there is a ‘real risk’ that some youngsters may end up sleeping on the streets, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg warned at the time. Refugee …

Refugee numbers top 10,600 in Q3, led by Syrians and Afghans
2 years, 2 months ago

Refugee numbers top 10,600 in Q3, led by Syrians and Afghans

Dutch News  

Over 10,600 people made a first request for asylum status in the Netherlands in the third quarter of this year, according to figures from the immigration service IND. The largest group – 4,600 – came from Syria, followed by nearly 1,000 people from Afghanistan and 935 from Turkey, national statistics agency CBS said, citing figures sourced from the IND. More …

Just one council offers space for child refugees after minister's appeal
2 years, 2 months ago

Just one council offers space for child refugees after minister's appeal

Dutch News  

Just one local council has come forward to say it will make extra beds available for child refugees, dozens of whom are currently sleeping on office floors at the Ter Apel reception centre. Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg made an appeal to all 345 local councils last month, saying 1,700 beds were needed for young asylum seekers who …

Just one council offers space for child refugees after minister's appeal
2 years, 2 months ago

Just one council offers space for child refugees after minister's appeal

Dutch News  

Just one local council has come forward to say it will make extra beds available for child refugees, dozens of whom are currently sleeping on office floors at the Ter Apel reception centre. Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg made an appeal to all 345 local councils last month, saying 1,700 beds were needed for young asylum seekers who …

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees
2 years, 3 months ago

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees

Dutch News  

Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg has made yet another urgent appeal to local councils to come up with beds for refugees – this time for 1,700 places for youngsters who have travelled to the Netherlands without their parents. ‘I would ask you all, as a matter of real urgency, to prevent us reaching an absolute low point,’ Van …

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees
2 years, 3 months ago

Minister appeals again for councils to house young refugees

Dutch News  

Junior justice minister Eric van der Burg has made yet another urgent appeal to local councils to come up with beds for refugees – this time for 1,700 places for youngsters who have travelled to the Netherlands without their parents. ‘I would ask you all, as a matter of real urgency, to prevent us reaching an absolute low point,’ Van …

Despite the crisis, the number of beds for refugees has gone down
2 years, 3 months ago

Despite the crisis, the number of beds for refugees has gone down

Dutch News  

The number of beds for asylum seekers has actually fallen, despite government efforts to get local authorities to allocate more places, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg said at the weekend. Many contracts for emergency accommodation between councils and refugee settlement agency COA expired at the end of September and the net reduction in beds is around 1,250, Van …

Despite the crisis, the number of beds for refugees has gone down
2 years, 3 months ago

Despite the crisis, the number of beds for refugees has gone down

Dutch News  

The number of beds for asylum seekers has actually fallen, despite government efforts to get local authorities to allocate more places, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg said at the weekend. Many contracts for emergency accommodation between councils and refugee settlement agency COA expired at the end of September and the net reduction in beds is around 1,250, Van …

Amsterdammers come out to meet their new neighbours
2 years, 3 months ago

Amsterdammers come out to meet their new neighbours

Dutch News  

Some 60 asylum seekers centres nationwide threw open their doors to the public on Saturday, as part of Open AZC Dag. The festive scenes at the asylum seekers centre on Willinklaan in Amsterdam’s district of Nieuw West were about as far away from the images of new arrivals sleeping outside Ter Apel refugee centre this past August as you could …

Amsterdammers come out to meet their new neighbours
2 years, 3 months ago

Amsterdammers come out to meet their new neighbours

Dutch News  

Some 60 asylum seekers centres nationwide threw open their doors to the public on Saturday, as part of Open AZC Dag. The festive scenes at the asylum seekers centre on Willinklaan in Amsterdam’s district of Nieuw West were about as far away from the images of new arrivals sleeping outside Ter Apel refugee centre this past August as you could …

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to be assessed, nearing 2015 record
2 years, 3 months ago

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to be assessed, nearing 2015 record

Dutch News  

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to have their cases assessed by the immigration service IND, according to August figures from European statistics agency Eurostat. ‘The longer refugees have to wait for their procedure, the more places are needed in refugee centres,’ spokesman Martijn van der Linden told broadcaster NOS. ‘The fact that the backlog is reaching a new record …

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to be assessed, nearing 2015 record
2 years, 3 months ago

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to be assessed, nearing 2015 record

Dutch News  

Almost 30,000 asylum seekers are waiting to have their cases assessed by the immigration service IND, according to August figures from European statistics agency Eurostat. ‘The longer refugees have to wait for their procedure, the more places are needed in refugee centres,’ spokesman Martijn van der Linden told broadcaster NOS. ‘The fact that the backlog is reaching a new record …

Charity takes state to court over its treatment of refugees
2 years, 3 months ago

Charity takes state to court over its treatment of refugees

Dutch News  

Refugee aid group Vluchtelingenwerk is taking the Dutch state to court on Thursday in an effort to force the government to improve conditions at asylum seekers’ centres. The agency is demanding officials bring accommodation up to European standards by October 1, claiming that the care of refugees in the Netherlands ‘has dropped below the humanitarian minimum’. In particular, the lack …

Charity takes state to court over its treatment of refugees
2 years, 3 months ago

Charity takes state to court over its treatment of refugees

Dutch News  

Refugee aid group Vluchtelingenwerk is taking the Dutch state to court on Thursday in an effort to force the government to improve conditions at asylum seekers’ centres. The agency is demanding officials bring accommodation up to European standards by October 1, claiming that the care of refugees in the Netherlands ‘has dropped below the humanitarian minimum’. In particular, the lack …

In Amsterdam, protesters rally for asylum seekers; Separate demonstration opposes immigration
2 years, 4 months ago

In Amsterdam, protesters rally for asylum seekers; Separate demonstration opposes immigration

NL Times  

A demonstration to draw attention to the crisis at the Ter Apel application center for asylum seekers will take place on Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam's Museumplein. The Ter Apel crisis event, which will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, is part of a series of demonstrations across the Netherlands called "We Make Place." MiGreat provides aid at Ter Apel "every …

150 migrants moved from overcrowded Dutch asylum center
2 years, 4 months ago

150 migrants moved from overcrowded Dutch asylum center

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Authorities moved 150 migrants Thursday …

Dutch agencies help migrants sleeping outside crowded camp
2 years, 4 months ago

Dutch agencies help migrants sleeping outside crowded camp

Associated Press  

TER APEL, Netherlands — Dutch aid agencies tended Thursday to hundreds of migrants camped in sweltering heat outside an overcrowded center for asylum-seekers as Dutch authorities investigated the death of a baby in the center a day earlier. Even if you are healthy, you’ll get sick here.” She said two people were hospitalized Thursday — a man who had a …

Dutch agencies help migrants sleeping outside crowded camp
2 years, 4 months ago

Dutch agencies help migrants sleeping outside crowded camp

LA Times  

Dutch aid agencies tended Thursday to hundreds of migrants camped in sweltering heat outside an overcrowded center for asylum seekers as Dutch authorities investigated the death of a baby in the center a day earlier. Dutch State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Eric van der Burg told reporters he was “deeply shocked” by the death of the 3-month-old baby. But …

Ministers earmark Overijssel hotel as refugee centre, bypassing council
2 years, 4 months ago

Ministers earmark Overijssel hotel as refugee centre, bypassing council

Dutch News  

The village of Albergen in Overijssel has been chosen by ministers as the location for a new asylum seekers centre, under new rules allowing them to bypass local councils. Refugee settlement agency COA has bought a hotel in the village of 3,500 people which has capacity for up to 300 refugees, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg told MPs …

Ministers earmark Overijssel hotel as refugee centre, bypassing council
2 years, 4 months ago

Ministers earmark Overijssel hotel as refugee centre, bypassing council

Dutch News  

The village of Albergen in Overijssel has been chosen by ministers as the location for a new asylum seekers centre, under new rules allowing them to bypass local councils. Refugee settlement agency COA has bought a hotel in the village of 3,500 people which has capacity for up to 300 refugees, junior justice minister Eric van der Burg told MPs …

Ministers intervene, earmark two locations for refugee housing
2 years, 5 months ago

Ministers intervene, earmark two locations for refugee housing

Dutch News  

Ministers have confirmed that they will start forcing local authorities to accept refugees if they persistently refuse to change zoning plans to allow suitable buildings to be used as temporary housing. The state would rather not go so far, but will use the legal instruments at their disposal to bypass local officials if necessary, housing minister Hugo de Jonge and …

Ministers intervene, earmark two locations for refugee housing
2 years, 5 months ago

Ministers intervene, earmark two locations for refugee housing

Dutch News  

Ministers have confirmed that they will start forcing local authorities to accept refugees if they persistently refuse to change zoning plans to allow suitable buildings to be used as temporary housing. The state would rather not go so far, but will use the legal instruments at their disposal to bypass local officials if necessary, housing minister Hugo de Jonge and …

Refugee agency 'on verge of collapse' as vacancies top 1,000
2 years, 5 months ago

Refugee agency 'on verge of collapse' as vacancies top 1,000

Dutch News  

The Dutch refugee agency COA is on the verge of collapse, with almost one in three workers at the Ter Apel reception centre out sick, the NRC reported on Friday. The agency is currently taking care of 43,000 refugees, both people who have recently applied for asylum and over 15,000 who have been granted residency rights but cannot be housed …

Refugee agency 'on verge of collapse' as vacancies top 1,000
2 years, 5 months ago

Refugee agency 'on verge of collapse' as vacancies top 1,000

Dutch News  

The Dutch refugee agency COA is on the verge of collapse, with almost one in three workers at the Ter Apel reception centre out sick, the NRC reported on Friday. The agency is currently taking care of 43,000 refugees, both people who have recently applied for asylum and over 15,000 who have been granted residency rights but cannot be housed …

Government faces battle to fix chronic overcrowding at refugee centre
2 years, 6 months ago

Government faces battle to fix chronic overcrowding at refugee centre

Dutch News  

The government has identified a site for a second registration centre for asylum seekers as it tries to ease overcrowding problems at Ter Apel. Deputy justice minister Eric van der Burg said the overspill facility at Bant, in Flevoland, would have room for between 250 and 300 people who will be transferred from Ter Apel in Groningen while their applications …

Government faces battle to fix chronic overcrowding at refugee centre
2 years, 6 months ago

Government faces battle to fix chronic overcrowding at refugee centre

Dutch News  

The government has identified a site for a second registration centre for asylum seekers as it tries to ease overcrowding problems at Ter Apel. Deputy justice minister Eric van der Burg said the overspill facility at Bant, in Flevoland, would have room for between 250 and 300 people who will be transferred from Ter Apel in Groningen while their applications …

Refugees' org. to sue Dutch gov't if it doesn't sort out asylum shelter before Aug. 1
2 years, 6 months ago

Refugees' org. to sue Dutch gov't if it doesn't sort out asylum shelter before Aug. 1

NL Times  

Refugees’ organization Vlucteligenwerk Nederland gave the Dutch State an ultimatum. The lack of space at asylum shelters means asylum seekers don’t have any privacy, decent accommodation, or clean sanitary facilities. The fact that the Netherlands treats Ukrainian refugees differently from other asylum seekers is clearly discrimination and, therefore, illegal, Vulchtelingwerk said. If the reception locations don’t meet the minimum requirements …

Many Ukrainians must leave host families for shelters as summer vacation approaches
2 years, 6 months ago

Many Ukrainians must leave host families for shelters as summer vacation approaches

NL Times  

Municipalities are preparing for a new influx of Ukrainian refugees –– not from Ukraine itself, but from host families in the Netherlands. They want to stop hosting Ukrainians, in many cases because the summer holidays are approaching and they do not want to leave the refugees alone in their house. According to a spokesperson, there are already host families who …

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