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National Asylum Developments Database

 

The National Asylum Developments Database presents legislative, institutional and policy developments related to asylum since 2018.

Searches can be narrowed down by:

  • Country
  • Year
  • Type of development: legislative, institutional or policy 
  • Thematic area: access to procedure, access to information, legal assistance and representation, interpretation services, special procedures, procedures at first instance, reception of applicants for international protection, detention, procedures at second instance, country of origin information, statelessness in the asylum context, content of protection, return of former applicants, resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes.

Details on each development and further analysis can be consulted in the Asylum Report series.
 

Types of policies and practices reported in the National Asylum Developments Database

The National Asylum Developments Database can be searched by institutional, legislative and policy changes. There are three types of policy developments:

Policies and practices related to the integrity of national asylum systems aim to swiftly identify unfounded asylum applications and ensure that financial, human and administrative resources are not dissipated on such claims. These measures involve efforts to rapidly establish an applicant’s identity, including age, country of origin, travel route and security concerns if any. These facts help to better assess the credibility of the applicant’s statements and determine whether beneficiaries of international protection are still in need of protection. The prevention of unintentional misuse of the asylum procedure and its integrity are also supported by the provision of information to asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection on their respective rights and obligations and related procedural arrangements.

Policies and practices that improve the efficiency of national asylum systems include digitalisation and the use of new technologies in the framework of asylum, prioritising or fast-tracking applications, the re-organisation of the procedure itself or implementing changes in the number of staff employed.

Policy and practice aiming to enhance the quality of national asylum systems contribute to increasing fairness, integrity and efficiency. Quality assurance systems, guidance materials and capacity-building measures typically pay off on the initial investment and efforts. The initiatives include staff training, revising existing guidance materials and monitoring the quality of the decisions delivered.

The database presents validated factual information and does not imply any endorsement from the European Commission or EUAA.

Flag Country Year Type of development Sort ascending Thematic area Development Source
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Guidance was updated on assessing applicants who are destitute and eligible for support. EASO Asylum Report 2020
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Home Office amended its guidance on assessing the ages of asylum claimants who have no valid documentary evidence of age and where their claims to be children are doubted. This included the specification that a person being assessed on their physical appearance and demeanour must appear to be at least 25 years or older to be treated as an adult. Prior to this amendment, a person needed to appear to be significantly older than 18 years to allow an assessment of age. EASO Asylum Report 2020
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Access to information Access to information Two new information guides were published on rights, expectations and support offered to applicants staying in temporary accommodation. EASO Asylum Report 2020
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The guidance on age assessment was updated. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal comment on Sudan leading to the temporary suspension of returns to the country. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government increased funding for fast tracks, which were established to support entry into the job market for beneficiaries of international protection who have education, work or training experience. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government provided funding to increase the length of civic orientation from 60 to 100 hours. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia, published a legal comment on Nicaragua and on the increased violence in Afghanistan during summer 2019, and temporarily stopped decisions in cases involving applicants from the Hasskah province of Syria based on its new situational analysis. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Swedish Migration Agency created an online training for its staff on gender-based violence within the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Swedish Migration Agency published new instructions on handling LGBTI cases and changed its system on assessing these cases. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A new electronic personal interview form with child-friendly language and structure was developed. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Office of the Refugee Commissioner started implementing changes to reporting on case allocation and backlog. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The “National Standards for Accommodation Offered to People in the Protection Process” and a report on direct provision from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality were published. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government published the mid-term review of the Migrant Integration Strategy 2017-2020. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Latvia Flag Latvia 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups 80 State Border Guard officers participated in training on unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable persons applying or not applying for asylum (upgraded training programme), “Profiling, interviewing and identification”. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Latvia Flag Latvia 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Two video tutorials were developed with information for applicants on everyday issues at the Asylum Accommodation Centre. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Latvia Flag Latvia 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The booklet A Guide for Asylum Seekers in Latvia was translated into two additional languages, Azerbaijani and Georgian. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Training on working with unaccompanied minors was offered to reception centre staff. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Internal guidelines on the conduct of interviews and information-gathering in the asylum procedure were implemented. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information A three-year project to update the information portal of the Asylum Division of the Migration Department was completed. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government increased the threshold of subsidies for municipalities from 80 % to 100 % of the rental prices announced by the Housing Observatory to encourage rentals for beneficiaries of international protection. Beneficiaries may also continue to live in reception facilities for a small fee. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The AWAS established the Therapeutic Services Unit (TSU) for migrants suffering from psychological disorders due to trauma, with a special team dedicated to children and unaccompanied minors. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Case-handling guidelines were issued, for example based on gender, credibility and assessment of medical reports. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Migration Office of the Ministry of the Interior continued to implement the AMIF-funded project Capacity Building in the Field of Asylum, which trains its staff members on reception of asylum seekers, including timely and thorough identification of vulnerable groups. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Migration Office of the Ministry of the Interior prepared an internal methodology for social workers (“Social Workers’ Competences to Avoid and Solve Critical Situations”) identifying the most frequent types of extraordinary and critical situations that social workers may encounter in asylum facilities, their possible causes and solutions to avoid or manage such situations. EASO Asylum Report 2020