Skip to main content

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
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection To increase reception capacity, a second temporary reception facility was opened with a capacity of 400 persons and two AMIF-funded projects were ongoing to temporarily increase reception places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of Education and Science prepared a report on applicant children’s education, informing the Cabinet of Ministers of the challenges and potential solutions in light of the increased number of applicant children in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government adopted in February 2021 a general policy planning document entitled “Guidelines for the Development of a Cohesive and Civically Active Society for 2021-2027”, followed by an action plan, outlining activities also for the integration of foreigners. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Ombudsperson concluded aiming to improve the mechanism for monitoring the forced removal of third-country nationals to ensure compliance with Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The state of emergency was extended at the Latvian-Belarusian border. Applicants can only submit applications for international protection at official border crossing points or detention facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Internal Regulation No 23.1-8.2/12 of the State Border Guard entered into force, defining the actions to take if minor children arrive with a detained adult asylum seeker. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Institutional Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs developed new leaflets and piloted a hotline to provide information on the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance New guidelines were issued on evidence assessments. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Border Guard Service (SBGS) and the Lithuanian Red Cross Society signed a cooperation agreement to provide psychological, social, legal and other assistance to foreigners, regardless of their legal status. Lawyers from the Lithuanian Red Cross Society can also access the Foreigners Registration Centre Pabrade to provide legal assistance, when the SBGS is informed in advance. Upon request, lawyers can also provide legal assistance in border control areas. Also upon request, specialists provide support for family reunification for foreigners residing in the FRC. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Social Security and Labour signed a cooperation agreement with the Mykolas Romeris University to provide English or Lithuanian language courses for selected beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new project on alternative accommodation was under development in Lithuania with AMIF co-funding, which would include all reception services. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The integration process of beneficiaries of international protection was adjusted. An individual integration plan is proposed to each beneficiary while they are still accommodated at the Refugee Reception Centre. The plan is updated once beneficiaries settle in a municipality in cooperation with the municipality's body in charge of integration. The support services are tailored to each person's specific needs and financial support is defined according to the person's progress and personal efforts EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A questionnaire was developed and is provided to rejected applicants to assess their willingness for voluntary return. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications Applicants applying at border crossing points or transit zones are not considered to have entered the territory until a decision to allow entrance is issued. The Migration Department must issue this decision within 48 hours. Applicants refused entry are accommodated at the border crossing points or transit zones for the time of lodging an appeal. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications Applications in the accelerated procedure are processed within 10 days. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The decision on which procedure the applicant follows must be made within 2 working days and no sperate decision is issued on this, but the case officer communicates this during the interview. The decision on admissibility is issued within 3 working days from the registration of the application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications A new definition was adopted for subsequent applications to align it with the recast Asylum Procedures Directive. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners was amended and states that all asylum-related decisions must be issued within 6 months. When the court returns the case, the deadline is 3 months. The examination of an asylum application is terminated without prior suspension when the applicant absconds. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The time limit for lodging an appeal against a decision in the accelerated procedure was reduced to 7 days. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An amendment to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners entered into force in January 2020, which granted applicants the right to work if the Migration Department had not taken a decision on their application within 6 months of the lodging and the applicants were not responsible for the delay. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure A new alternative to detention was introduced, limiting the right to free movement to the territory of the accommodation facility. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The amendments guaranteed free legal aid throughout the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services Amendments clarified that an applicant has the right to free oral interpretation related to the asylum application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants An amendment clarified that a return decision cannot be issued pending the examination of an application for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants New criteria were added for assessing whether there was a risk of absconding. EASO Asylum Report 2021