|
United Kingdom |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Guidance was updated on assessing applicants who are destitute and eligible for support. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
United Kingdom |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Home Office amended its guidance on assessing the ages of asylum claimants who have no valid documentary evidence of age and where their claims to be children are doubted. This included the specification that a person being assessed on their physical appearance and demeanour must appear to be at least 25 years or older to be treated as an adult. Prior to this amendment, a person needed to appear to be significantly older than 18 years to allow an assessment of age. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
United Kingdom |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
Two new information guides were published on rights, expectations and support offered to applicants staying in temporary accommodation. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
United Kingdom |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The guidance on age assessment was updated. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Return of former applicants |
The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal comment on Sudan leading to the temporary suspension of returns to the country. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government increased funding for fast tracks, which were established to support entry into the job market for beneficiaries of international protection who have education, work or training experience. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government provided funding to increase the length of civic orientation from 60 to 100 hours. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia, published a legal comment on Nicaragua and on the increased violence in Afghanistan during summer 2019, and temporarily stopped decisions in cases involving applicants from the Hasskah province of Syria based on its new situational analysis. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency created an online training for its staff on gender-based violence within the asylum procedure. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency published new instructions on handling LGBTI cases and changed its system on assessing these cases. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
A new electronic personal interview form with child-friendly language and structure was developed. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
Since 1 January 2019, Sweden does not recognise the validity of child marriages from abroad, so the agency updated its standards for handling cases related to married child applicants and developed relevant information material in collaboration with the National Board of Health and Welfare. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Policy |
|
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 |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Swedish Migration Agency published a new handbook on human trafficking, with a part focusing on improving the identification of victims and perpetrators within the asylum procedure. The template for interviewing unaccompanied minors was updated to better detect signs of human trafficking. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Spain |
2019 |
Policy |
|
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 |
|
Slovakia |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Migration Office of the Ministry of the Interior prepared an internal methodology for social workers (“Social Workers’ Competences to Avoid and Solve Critical Situations”) identifying the most frequent types of extraordinary and critical situations that social workers may encounter in asylum facilities, their possible causes and solutions to avoid or manage such situations. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Latvia |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Two video tutorials were developed with information for applicants on everyday issues at the Asylum Accommodation Centre. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Lithuania |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Internal guidelines on the conduct of interviews and information-gathering in the asylum procedure were implemented. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Lithuania |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
Training on working with unaccompanied minors was offered to reception centre staff. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Lithuania |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
A newly-built dormitory opened for a maximum of 15 vulnerable persons at the Foreigners’ Registration Centre of the State Border Guard Service. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Latvia |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The booklet A Guide for Asylum Seekers in Latvia was translated into two additional languages, Azerbaijani and Georgian. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Ireland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The government published the mid-term review of the Migrant Integration Strategy 2017-2020. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Ireland |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The “National Standards for Accommodation Offered to People in the Protection Process” and a report on direct provision from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality were published. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Lithuania |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Country of origin information |
A three-year project to update the information portal of the Asylum Division of the Migration Department was completed. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Latvia |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
80 State Border Guard officers participated in training on unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable persons applying or not applying for asylum (upgraded training programme), “Profiling, interviewing and identification”. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |