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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 Sort ascending Country Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The UDI launched a new website to inform applicants about the current situation in Afghanistan, some also providing a section on frequently asked questions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Persons granted protection in Norway may obtain a long-term residence permit after 5 years, instead of the previous 3 years, following legislative amendments that entered into force in December 2020. The language knowledge requirement for naturalisation was increased from A2 to B1 level. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A legislative proposal for a new Integration Act was introduced, re-shaping the integration programme for refugees. NO LEG 01 2019
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The UDI commissioned an assessment of the quality of 150 asylum interviews and decisions in order to use the findings to draft guidelines and policy instructions to case officers who decide on asylum claims. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Directorate for Integration and Diversit published a report on municipality expenditure on supporting the integration of refugees. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services The Interpretation Act entered into force, obliging public bodies to use a qualified interpreter. It stipulates the requirement of professional conduct, including the duty of confidentiality, by interpreters. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The national budget was revised to employ more experts working with children in reception facilities, following the increasing number of arrivals from Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The UDI provided special guidelines to all reception centres on preparing for school education. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure Guidelines clarified that the Dublin III Regulation did not apply to persons who were granted collective protection (a status similar to temporary protection in the EU framework). EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of Justice and Public Security issued a new instruction “Assessment of the conditions for asylum in the Immigration Act, Section 28(1) when the applicant already has a residence permit in Norway"". EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure According to the amended Immigration Regulations, the UDI and UNE are given access to obtain necessary information from the child welfare service for the purpose of case processing. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants As of March 2020, standard support assistance may be increased in order to ease the return and reintegration process, for example for returnees with special medical needs or if it is assessed to be more cost-effective for Norwegian society. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The new Integration Act was adopted in Norway and entered into force in January 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs introduced a proposal to amend the Social Services Act, which would make financial assistance for third country nationals conditional on being enrolled in language training. NO LEG 02 2019
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The notification of negative decisions for Afghan applicants was suspended between July 2021 and January 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure An internal review of 54 return cases from 2019 took place in the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) in order to examine how UNE assesses what is in the best interests of the child in return cases. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Amendments to the Immigration Act would allow authorities to expulse refugees, without first making a decision on the cessation of the status, when the person has been convicted and sentenced of a crime that is punishable by 2 or more years of prison. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A new Integration Act entered into force in January 2021, putting more emphasis on training participants in the introduction programme (mostly refugees) on the skills required by Norwegian employers or needed to qualify for further education. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection One-year-old children in reception centres were included in the financing scheme of free, full-time care in kindergarten. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Norway revised its list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Norwegian government and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) increased capacity in the national arrival centre, in emergency accommodation, including accommodation for displaced persons from Ukraine, and in ordinary reception centres. A scheme for alternative temporary reception space was also launched. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A bill was passed for a new stateless determination procedure and another bill amended the Dutch Nationality Act to allow stateless children to apply for naturalisation after 5 years of habitual residence. The bills still need to be adopted by the Senate. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The moratorium on decisions and departures for Afghan applicants ended, and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) resumed the decision process on a case-by-case basis. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure As a one-time action, the care for unaccompanied children who were at least 17.5 years on 1 July 2022 was taken over by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) from Nidos, and the minors were accommodated in regular reception places instead of ones dedicated to minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The IND published its updated work instructions on the border procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021