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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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency issued a new legal position to clarify that municipalities and regions are entitled to be reimbursed for the care of unaccompanied children from the moment they express their wish to apply for asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency issued a new legal position on statements by children in which it clarified the circumstances when and the ways in which children should be heard during the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A number of amendments to the regulatory framework concerning resettlement were adopted to enable greater flexibility in acute situations, such as the Afghanistan situation. According to a government decision, the requirement that a person must be in a third country to be eligible for resettlement was temporarily removed. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection All new residence permits became temporary, with the exception of resettled refugees. Permanent residence can be obtained after a minimum of 3 years in the country, and as a general rule, adults applying have to be able to support themselves and their dependant relatives and have decent housing. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Act on Swedish Citizenship was amended to grant a stateless person holding a temporary residence permit the right to obtain Swedish citizenship, following amendments in the Aliens Act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Social orientation classes became obligatory in Sweden for all applicants as soon as possible after an application for asylum has been registered. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Swedish government established an inquiry on an orderly initial reception of asylum seekers. The inquiry is tasked to propose measures to ensure that asylum seekers choose to live in the Swedish Migration Agency's accommodation throughout the asylum period, propose how a statutory obligation to participate in social introduction can be formulated, consider the scope of persons covered under the Law on Reception of Asylum Seekers and Others, and review the scope of benefits covered by this act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs A list of safe countries of origin was adopted, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Kosovo, Mongolia, Northern Macedonia and Serbia. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative changes to the Aliens Act were introduced allowing the Migration Agency to reject an application as manifestly unfounded when the applicant comes from a country included in the list of safe countries of origin. The decision becomes immediately enforceable with no automatic suspensive effect or the right to remain pending the outcome of an appeal procedure. The agency published a corresponding legal position. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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 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 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 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A protocol was approved to establish common criteria for professionals who work with applicants and beneficiaries of international protection to detect and prevent gender-based violence in reception. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The National Resettlement Programme was approved foreseeing the resettlement of 1,200 refugees in 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Universities issued a new decree on the recognition procedure for foreign degrees and shortened the procedure to 6 months EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The sponsor in Spain must now begin the family reunification procedure, not the family member in the country of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration signed a memorandum with the Spanish Olympic Committee to promote sports in the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An increase in the national budget was announced to upgrade the reception system, in line with the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following new instructions, only recognised beneficiaries of international protection can be referred to the second phase of the national reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of Home Affair’s Sub-Secretariat instructed the Asylum and Refugee Office to prioritise applications submitted in Ceuta and Melilla due to a high influx of arrivals, as well as the applications for Afghan nationals who were evacuated. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Organic Law 8/2021 was introduced to clarify the principles of the age assessment procedure, including standards and consent for medical tests, procedures to follow in case the age cannot be established and respect for the child's dignity. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) introduced the possibility to have remote interviews where necessary. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA), two new decrees were adopted on an applicant’s reception rights and accommodations for unaccompanied children, as well as a decree on house rules of the asylum centre. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) introduced the right to appeal a decision of the Administrative Court before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court must decide on the appeal within 30 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2022