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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 ascending Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Swedish Migration Agency, the police and Swedish diplomatic missions abroad were also given the right to process sensitive data, as described by the Aliens Data Act, and to test and develop existing IT systems for managing the personal data of third-country nationals, for example to participate in international cooperation. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal comment on detainees who are or will be subject to another form of deprivation of liberty (RK/001/2022). EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups In preparation for the entry into force of the UN CRC Act (2018:1197) on 1 January 2020, the Swedish Migration Agency developed guidelines on assessing the best interests of the child in accordance with Article 3 of the UN CRC, trained around 500 case officers and 40 head of units in children's rights, and developed a technical tool supporting the determination of the best interests of the child. It also developed new guidelines on the placement of unaccompanied minor applicants assigned to a municipality. Information on the asylum procedure was developed specially for children aged 7 to 12 years, available through a mobile application. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Institutional Country of origin information Country of origin information The COI Unit became part of the newly-established Section for Information Analysis of the Swedish Migration Agency. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A legal position was published on public assistants, outlining the requirements to be appointed by the Swedish Migration Agency. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on assessing the best interests of the child. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Swedish Migration Court of Appeal introduced an e-service to facilitate the submission of documents to the court by state administrative authorities. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the situation in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. (The legal position was repealed in 2021 and is no longer in force.) EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on the examination of the best interests of the child. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish government tasked several national bodies, including the police and the Swedish Migration Agency, to analyse the factors that prevent the enforcement of a decision on a refusal of entry or return. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position from 2015 on the investigation and assessment of a future risk of persecution for applicants claiming asylum due to sexual orientation or gender identity. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Asylum Seeker (LMA)-cards were digitalised to include a QR code for the validity period, and a case-handling system was further developed for increased usability. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The application of the law was extended until 19 July 2021 and beneficiaries of international protection continued to receive temporary residence permits instead of a permanent one. The law lifted the ban on family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. SE LEG 01 2019
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the assessment of applications from Afghan citizens, based on revised country of origin information. The security situation was assessed to be largely unchanged and the legal position includes slight adjustments. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Legal position on the application of ECHR, Article 3, when illness is invoked. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new governmental project is planned to be implemented in 2021, obliging applicants to attend a 1-day information session about the host society. The programme has existed for several years, but it was implemented as a voluntary 2- to 3-hour session. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Sweden amended and issued legal positions on returns, addressing practical obstacles (RS/048/2021) and the immediate enforcement of a return to the home country including safe countries of origin (RS/071/2021). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Secretary of State for Migration and the International Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Programmes were reorganised under the same General Directorate, and a new General Sub-Directorate was created for Migratory Analysis. The Executive Commission of the Inter-ministerial Commission of Retributions reorganised tasks between different departments within the Spanish Office of Asylum (Ministry of Home Affairs). A new Sub-Directorate of International Protection and three new heads of department were established. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The government decided to increase the migration budged for 2022 by 29% with the allocation of additional funds aiming to improve reception conditions of applicants for international and temporary protection and migrants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Spain’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill on trafficking and exploitation which focuses on prevention, assistance and the protection of victims by guaranteeing a series of rights and support measures. A national referral mechanism for potential trafficking victims will also be created. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A Royal Decree was introduced to facilitate the process of granting residence and work permits for unaccompanied children in Spain. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The National Strategic Plan against Human Trafficking for 2021-2023 was adopted. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure In 2020, the Secretary of State for Migration introduced changes granting access to work permits for unaccompanied children aged older than 16 years. In addition, the government announced a reform allowing permission to stay based on their integration path rather than on their participation in the labour market. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Royal Decree 220/2022 of 29 March 2022 was adopted, approving the regulation governing the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Case-handling guidelines were issued, for example based on gender, credibility and assessment of medical reports. EASO Asylum Report 2020