The waiting times at the IND immigration service are so long that more and more asylum seekers are ‘struggling with mental problems due to their hopeless situation’. Nearly 6000 asylum seekers have been waiting for more than six months, the legal term, for a decision in their asylum procedure.
That writes the Dutch Council for Refugees in a fire letter to the House of Representatives, in which the organization sounds the alarm. ‘Hundreds of asylum seekers have been staying in bunk beds in an emergency shelter for more than six months, but have not yet had an initial meeting with the IND. They have the feeling of living in a dark tunnel with no perspective,” the aid organization writes. Thousands of others have had a first meeting, but are still waiting for the next one.
Immigration Service IND was already struggling with a large backlog in processing asylum applications in 2020. After a special task force was set up, that backlog disappeared. At the beginning of this year, a decision was made within six months in 92 percent of all applications. In recent months, this has been happening less and less often. A decision is now made on time in 64 percent of the applications, according to figures from the IND. The Council for Refugees fears that this percentage will fall further in the coming months.
Residents at several emergency shelters have already threatened to go on hunger strike if they were not informed about the state of affairs
“The uncertainty causes a lot of people to feel uneasy, we notice that at all locations. People don’t know where they stand because they don’t get any information. And if they try to call the IND, they are on hold for a long time or they can’t get through at all,” said spokesperson Evita Bloemheuvel. “At several emergency shelters, residents have already threatened to go on hunger strike if they were not informed about the state of affairs. 100 people are staying at a location in Limburg: 96 Syrians and 4 Iraqis. And precisely the 4 Iraqis already receive living allowance and have a date for an interview with the IND. The rest are still waiting. Those kinds of things cause anxiety.”
The IND itself reported earlier this month that waiting times for asylum seekers are increasing. “With more and more applications, the IND is reaching the limits of its feasibility. It takes more time to process an application, files are becoming more extensive”, the service stated in its State of the implementation. The service is also faced with a staff shortage.
More asylum seekers
In addition, the number of asylum seekers coming to the Netherlands has been increasing for several months. Fewer people came to the Netherlands in the past two years because the world was locked up due to the corona pandemic. Now that most travel restrictions have been lifted, there is catching up to do. For example, family members of an asylum seeker who has already received a residence permit in the Netherlands can now come here more easily. In the first five months of this year, 16,000 people applied for asylum in the Netherlands. Figures from the service show that the processing time for a file in the General Asylum Procedure was 19 weeks in January, but has now risen to 28 weeks.
The immigration service also announced that it would appeal less often if a judge, against the decision of the IND, still grants a residence permit to a foreign national. ,,We look more critically at when we proceed to litigate.” That also has to do with the large pile of files that is still waiting.
Structural solution
The Council for Refugees calls on the IND to visit all (emergency) locations and provide a good explanation about the waiting times and the prospects. ,,Now we do that but in some locations, that is not the right way”, says the spokesman. “In addition, State Secretary Van der Burg should now structurally solve the problem with the backlogs.”
The waiting time problem comes on top of the reception problem. Due to a major shortage of reception places, thousands of asylum seekers have been sheltered for months in emergency locations such as sports halls or event halls. They stay there with tens or hundreds of people at the same time in large spaces with hardly any privacy.
‘I see people around me getting depressed’
There are ‘difficult moments’ every day. Moments when you miss your family. Moments when you really want to move on with your life.” In December last year, Achmed* (30) from Syria arrived in the Netherlands. First he stayed for a while with 120 others in a tent on the grounds of application center Ter Apel, then he was transferred to an emergency shelter: a boat in the Maashaven in Rotterdam. There are 70 other asylum seekers living on the ship.
Achmed had a first interview with the IND in February. He has been waiting for a second interview ever since. He hasn’t been given a date for that yet. “I understand the situation, I understand that there is a backlog because the IND has too few people and there are many asylum seekers. And I’m glad I’m in the Netherlands. It is safe here and many Dutch people help us. But at the same time we want to move on. Study, look for work. And we also know that if a decision has been made about a residence permit, the next problem is already waiting: the shortage of housing.” It causes a storm in his head. “I see people getting really depressed around me. I do a lot of volunteer work myself, including at a community center. That’s how I fill my time, because if you’re not busy, the problems grow in your head.”
*Because Ahmed still has relatives in Syria, he does not want his surname published. His name is known to the editors.
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