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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 Sort descending Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Asylum Law, Article 31/A(10) was amended: It was added that asylum detention can also take place - in exceptional cases - in a health care institution. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Government Decree No 411/2020 (VIII.30.) extended the validity of Government Decree No 41/2016 (III.9.) until 7 March 2021, stating that there is a continued state of crisis caused by mass migration. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The special conditions to submit an asylum application were extended until 31 December 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Under Asylum Law, Article 15, the threshold to exclude a person from subsidiary protection became lower: instead of violating national security, it is enough if the person's stay in the country endangers national security. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Law LVIII of 2020 ratified Government Decree 2020 (V.26.) on special rules for the asylum procedure until 31 December 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Government Decree 277/2018 (XII. 21.) entered into force, modifying Government Decree 114/2007 (V. 24.), which clarified the types of administrative actions that the Aliens Police can carry out in the absence of a legal guardian when the applicant is an unaccompanied minor. HU LEG 01 2019
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Asylum Law, Article 86/A was amended: The NDGAP can receive and process personal data that are publicly available due to public interest, including from foreign databases. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2019 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The regional asylum offices were closed and the central department took over their tasks. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Hungary Flag Hungary 2021 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The special conditions to submit an asylum application which were introduced by the Hungarian government in May 2020 were extended until 31 December 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Article 80/K(11) now also includes persons whose status ceased or was revoked, meaning that when they submit a subsequent application under the rules applicable during a state of crisis caused by mass migration, they will not be entitled to a residence permit, material reception conditions or access to work. Previously this section included only persons whose application was rejected or terminated with a final decision. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The definition of a particular social group changed under Asylum Law, Article 64(1d): before the two elements (common characteristics, distinct identity in the relevant country) were alternative, divided by an or, now and and links them and the two elements are cumulative. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries (decision published in February 2022). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new arrival centre was opened in Reykjavík, offering all services from registration by the police to reception interviews, first health inspection and a needs assessment for permanent housing. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance According to a new decree, the Ministry of Social Affairs would be mandated to provide reception conditions to applicants and integration services to beneficiaries of international protection, while the Directorate of Immigration (operating under the Ministry of Justice) continues to be responsible for the examination of applications for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Immigration Appeals Board's rules of procedure were amended, defining practices that have emerged in the past 3 years. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Family reunification requests from Afghan residents were treated with priority in 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services A reform of administrative procedures, including asylum procedures, provides for professional interpretation to persons who do not speak Icelandic. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Venezuelan applicants are no longer automatically granted subsidiary protection due to the general circumstances in the home country. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An additional fixed amount subsistence allowance was paid to applicants for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The parliament adopted a resolution for the implementation of an action plan for immigration issues for 2022-2025. Based on the resolution, a steering group was established to formulate a comprehensive integration strategy, with a focus on labour market integration. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Iceland acceded to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in the context of asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A temporary Council of Ministers for Immigrants and Refugees was appointed by proposal of the Prime Minister and approval of the government. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Directorate of Immigration was developing new standard operating procedures for applicants with disabilities and mental health issues. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure A new information hub was launched, newiniceland.is, which provides information in eight languages through online counsellors and telephone interpretation in additional languages. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Young Afghan refugees who received protection shortly after turning 18 years are now also allowed to apply for family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2023