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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 Ordina in modo ascendente Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
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 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 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 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 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 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 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative changes to the Aliens Act were introduced allowing the Migration Agency to reject an application as manifestly unfounded when the applicant comes from a country included in the list of safe countries of origin. The decision becomes immediately enforceable with no automatic suspensive effect or the right to remain pending the outcome of an appeal procedure. The agency published a corresponding legal position. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs A list of safe countries of origin was adopted, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Kosovo, Mongolia, Northern Macedonia and Serbia. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Swedish government established an inquiry on an orderly initial reception of asylum seekers. The inquiry is tasked to propose measures to ensure that asylum seekers choose to live in the Swedish Migration Agency's accommodation throughout the asylum period, propose how a statutory obligation to participate in social introduction can be formulated, consider the scope of persons covered under the Law on Reception of Asylum Seekers and Others, and review the scope of benefits covered by this act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Swedish Migration Agency revised its Dublin tracks by reflecting the estimated handling time of the case and improvements to its IT systems allowed more rapid information exchanges on Dublin cases. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The “Asylum360” pilot project of 2018 was extended to more regions, combining the accommodation of asylum seekers and the examination of their applications into one continuous process to handle as many cases as possible without interruptions. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Swedish Migration Agency launched a portal allowing legal counsellors to submit appeals against first instance decisions electronically. Another pilot continued, in cooperation with the Swedish National Courts Administration, to digitally transfer appeals between the agency and the courts. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government tasked the Swedish Council for Higher Education to develop and pilot special measures for: a) skills validation and the recognition of qualifications when documentary evidence is missing and b) when the educational level is documented but the level was not completed. The Council also worked on a permanent structure for the recognition and accreditation of prior learning. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Social orientation classes became obligatory in Sweden for all applicants as soon as possible after an application for asylum has been registered. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Act on Swedish Citizenship was amended to grant a stateless person holding a temporary residence permit the right to obtain Swedish citizenship, following amendments in the Aliens Act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection All new residence permits became temporary, with the exception of resettled refugees. Permanent residence can be obtained after a minimum of 3 years in the country, and as a general rule, adults applying have to be able to support themselves and their dependant relatives and have decent housing. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A number of amendments to the regulatory framework concerning resettlement were adopted to enable greater flexibility in acute situations, such as the Afghanistan situation. According to a government decision, the requirement that a person must be in a third country to be eligible for resettlement was temporarily removed. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the implementation of decisions related to unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on interviewing children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on considering children's age in family reunification procedures, following the CJEU's relevant judgment. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure National authorities were enabled to take a foreigner's photo and fingerprints at entry, exit or during internal checks for the Schengen Information System, if the person's identity cannot be identified in another manner. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Swedish Migration Agency, the police and Swedish diplomatic missions abroad were also given the right to process sensitive data, as described by the Aliens Data Act, and to test and develop existing IT systems for managing the personal data of third-country nationals, for example to participate in international cooperation. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish government tasked several national bodies, including the police and the Swedish Migration Agency, to analyse the factors that prevent the enforcement of a decision on a refusal of entry or return. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Swedish government decided to finance the extension of labour market integration programmes for 12 months to support people whose programme would finish in the midst of the pandemic EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Cross-Party Committee of Inquiry on Migration submitted its report on a sustainable long-term migration policy, proposing several changes to the Aliens Act. This would include for example that beneficiaries of international protection would first get a temporary residence permit. EASO Asylum Report 2021