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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 Thematic area Development Source
Austria Flag Austria 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The length of the obligatory orientation course for beneficiaries of international protection was extended from 8 to 24 hours to include modules on gender equality, antisemitism and the importance of voluntary work. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Austria Flag Austria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure In cooperation with UNHCR and the IOM, the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) organised regularly training sessions for its staff on identifying special needs and vulnerabilities, interviewing applicants with special needs, and tailoring approaches to specific groups, such as women, children, LGBTIQ applicants and survivors of trafficking in the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Austria Flag Austria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice established a Commission on the Best Interests of the Child in February 2021, tasked to review the legal framework and practices related to children in the asylum procedure. The Federal Ministry of the Interior conducted an internal review as well, concluding that many of the recommendations were already being applied or were on the way to implementation, and suggesting new measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Poland Flag Poland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft amendment was submitted to the Social Assistance Act, which aims to grant the right to individual integration programmes for beneficiaries of international protection married to Polish citizens (amendment accepted on 15 April 2021). EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Polish government announced the introduction of a humanitarian visa scheme for Belarusians from mid-August 2020 onwards. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Humanitarian visa holders are permitted to work without a work permit since 1 December 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Secretariat for Migration assessed the functioning of the asylum system during the COVID-19 pandemic. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The State Secretariat for Migration and cantonal authorities signed amendments to the convention on cantonal integration programmes for the implementation of the Swiss Integration Agenda, which includes more funds for cantons to carry out their plans. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Detention 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Federal Administrative Court published its report on the evaluation of the asylum appeals procedure after the reform of the asylum procedure entered into force in 2019. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council adopted its opinion on a report by the Political Institutions Committee of the Council of States concerning a parliamentary initiative on granting the same family reunification regimes to beneficiaries of international protection and persons with temporary admission. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants 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
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Secretariat for Migration presented the results of the first evaluation of the law that reformed the asylum procedure in 2019. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection 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 Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection 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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal position on the applicability of the Dublin III Regulation vis-a-vis the United Kingdom after 31 December 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Legal position on residence permit for studies at upper secondary level. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection 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