|
Sweden |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The Swedish Parliament adopted the government's proposal from December 2020 to incorporate the rules on safe countries of origin in the Aliens Act. The new rules allow the Swedish Migration Agency to consider an application manifestly unfounded if the applicant comes from a country included in the list. The amendments enter into force on 1 May 2021. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Sweden |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The Swedish Migration Agency proposed 8 countries to be considered safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Kosovo, Mongolia, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and USA. The new list is foreseen to enter into force on 1 May 2021. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Sweden |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The so-called EBO rules entered into force on 1 July 2020. According to these rules, applicants are no longer entitled to a daily allowance if they choose to reside in specific areas with high rates of immigrants and socio-economic challenges (32 municipalities listed in 2020, revised to 23 municipalities as of 1 January 2021). |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Sweden |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
A new governmental project is planned to be implemented in Sweden in 2021, obliging applicants to attend a one-day information session about the host society. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Sweden |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
Changes to the national legislation introduce a departure ban for children who are at risk of being taken abroad for marriage or female genital mutilation. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
A draft amendment to the Asylum Act would allow the State Secretariat for Migration to access and analyse data from applicants' mobile phones, in order to verify their identity, with full respect of the principle of necessity and proportionality, and in compliance with the right to respect for private and family life. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
An amendment to the Asylum Act entered into force, which describes the modalities and limits of video surveillance in federal reception centres. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
An amendment to Ordinance 1 on asylum settles the implementation rules for video surveillance in federal reception centres. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
A draft amendment would explicitly include that applicants are under a general travel ban and they could only travel if this is necessary for the asylum procedure or for their removal. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
An amendment to Ordinance 2 on asylum settled the funding of security costs of federal reception centres when they are temporarily closed. The confederation pays a lump sum for a year, even when the centre is closed. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
An amendment clarified that minors cannot be held in detention for the purposes of return. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
An amendment from 2018 to the Asylum Act entered into force on 1 April 2020, which enables the State Secretariat for Migration to pronounce a general travel ban for a group of refugees from a certain country of origin (particularly to neighbouring countries of that country of origin), if there is a well-founded doubt that the travel ban to the country of origin is not respected. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
An amendment to the ordinance on delivering travel documents for foreigners clarified when refugees under a travel ban can still receive an exceptional authorisation to travel to a country falling under that travel ban. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The possibility to impose a travel ban is planned to be extended to persons with temporary admission. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
A draft amendment would allow persons with temporary admission to change their assigned canton if they follow a long-term vocational training or are employed in another canton |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
An amendment to the ordinance on implementation of return and expulsion of foreigners settles access rights, data security and data retention of the new information system, eRetour. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Austria |
2020 |
Institutional |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Federal Agency for Reception and Support Services (BBU, Bundesagentur fuer Betreuungs- und Unterstuetzungsleistungen GmbH) started its activities on 1 December 2020 related to the provision of material reception conditions. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Czech Republic |
2020 |
Institutional |
|
Return of former applicants |
Regional offices of the Czech Return Unit were established in Brno and in detention centres in Bela-Jezova, Balkova and Vysni Lhoty. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Denmark |
2020 |
Institutional |
|
Return of former applicants |
The Danish Return Agency started its operations on 1 August 2020 and is responsible for tasks linked to return, with the exception of forced removals. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
France |
2020 |
Institutional |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The position of the Minister Delegate for Citizenship was created under the Minister of the Interior, responsible for asylum and integration |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Ireland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Some reception-related tasks were transferred from the Minister for Justice and Equality to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, including the provision, withdrawal or reduction of material reception conditions, information provision, the designation of accommodation centre and support for vulnerable persons. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Ireland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Irish government announced its intention at the end of 2020 to reduce the waiting period for asylum applicants from 9 months to 6 months to apply for a work permit. The permission's validity was to be extended from 6 months to 12 months. The new measures were introduced in January 2021. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Ireland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
The International Protection Act 2015 (Section 51B)(Places of Detention) Regulations 2020 set out the places of detention for the purpose of facilitating the return of a person whose application for international protection was determined to be inadmissible and who is subject of a return order. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |