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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
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Integration Partnership Programme was launched in November 2020 to establish a nationwide network of integration and social inclusion actors. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services New quality assurance modalities for interpretation services were put in place in 2021 after the launch of the project Tulppani in 2020. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Psyyke project was implemented with AMIF funding between 1 March 2019 and 30 June 2021, offering training and guidance to reception staff on mental health support in reception facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Finnish Ministry of the Interior launched a project to bring together the expertise of various stakeholders in the asylum system to develop uniform, long-term objectives and more comprehensive immigration and asylum policies. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Immigration Service suspended the pronouncement of negative decisions on removals to Afghanistan on 9 July 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Smart Border package was submitted to the parliament, bringing new technological means of processing at the border, concerning specifically the Aliens Act and other relevant legislative provisions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance An amendment to the Aliens Act extended the time limit to 30 days to submit an appeal against a decision of the Finnish Immigration Service and before the Administrative Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Legislative work continued to prepare for an eventual mass influx of migrants, and some amendments were introduced to the Reception Act. The Finnish Immigration Service must draw up a contingency plan for large-scale arrivals and has a central role in organising reception and giving instructions to other actors in this scenario. The amendments entered into force at the beginning of January 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Free legal aid was made available to all applicants for international protection during an interview, not only to vulnerable groups. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation People with a legal training but who are not qualified as public legal counsellors can no longer be assigned as legal assistants to third-country nationals in international protection procedures. Pay differences for legal assistants working on international protection cases were eliminated. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Finland opened consultations on proposed amendments to the Citizenship Act (359/2003) and the Government Decree on Citizenship (293/2013). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The entire staff of the Dublin unit changed and new colleagues received extensive training throughout the year. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Institutional Interpretation services Interpretation services The Finnish Immigration Service was restructured at the end of 2020, and the Legal Services Unit became responsible for assessing interpretation services. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Institutional Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Finnish Immigration Service became entirely responsible for providing guidance on, planning and monitoring the guardianship of unaccompanied children in 2020, and this new arrangement started to be implemented in 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft government proposal was sent out for comments to amend the Aliens Act provisions on the family reunification of beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new digital application was launched to allow family members other than spouses and children to apply online for family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Refugee Board decided in December 2021 to suspend the processing of cases for Ethiopian nationals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance In October 2021, the Danish Refugee Board decided to review cases for citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were about to be deported, in light of a report by the Swedish Migration Agency of 24 June 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Refugee Board suspended appeals when the situation in Afghanistan was critical but continued to address other aspects, such as age assessments and Dublin transfers. The processing of cases was resumed in December 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Amendments to the Aliens Act and the Return Act foresee the possibility to transfer suddenly-arrived asylum seekers to a partner country outside of the EU to process their asylum applications and subsequently provide protection to those in need. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A special legislative piece provides temporary residence permits to persons who have assisted the Danish authorities and have been evacuated from Afghanistan. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Return Act (Hjemrejseloven), the first consolidated law in the field of return, came into force on 1 June 2021. The mandate and responsibilities of the Danish Return Agency are formalised in the act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants New legislation obliges applicants to undergo a medical examination for diseases and illnesses covered by the Danish Epidemic Act, e.g. COVID-19. If a returnee refuses to be tested, the Danish Return Agency can request the assistance of the police and the testing may, if necessary, be carried out with the use of force. The testing is always carried out by a health care professional. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Amendments to the Asylum Act and the Act on Stay of Foreigners stipulated that some provisions of the asylum procedure do not apply to the procedure for recognising statelessness, for example the appointment of a legal representative, having an oral hearing, and an appeal of the decision is not possible. However, the ministry provides an interpreter free of charge and issues a decision within 6 months of submitting the application (which can be extended by another 6 months for complex cases). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of international protection who would like to obtain a long-term permanent residence after 5 years of continuous residence in Czechia, must take a Czech language exam at A2 level instead of A1. Persons issued a long-term residence permit must complete within a year a 4-hour integration course on their rights and obligations, fundamental values, everyday life, culture and traditions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022