legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

Statistics (source: IND)
Number of asylum seekers
Number of applications submitted in the Netherlands
1994 52,576
1995 29,250
1996 22,857
1997 34,400
1998 42,217
1999 39,299
Number of statuses granted
Convention status Humanitarian status Provisional residence permit
1994 6,654 9,235 3,456
1995 7,980 6,203 4,310
1996 8,806 7,384 7,400
1997 6,630 5,176 5,182
1998 2,356 3,591 9,152
1999 1,507 3,471 8,512
Main national groups
Main national groups to seek asylum in the Netherlands in 1999
Country No. of persons
Afghanistan 4,400
Iraq 3,703
Fed. Rep. Yugoslavia 3,692
Somalia 2,731
Azerbaijan 2,449
Sudan 1,694
Angola 1,585
Iran 1,527
Turkey 1,490
Sierra Leone 1,280
Other 14,748
The new Aliens Act
The Dutch government has submitted a proposal for a new Aliens legislation, with the main
objectives of simplifying the current asylum system and shortening the duration of the
determination procedure. At the time of writing (May 2000), the Draft Aliens Act is under
discussion in Parliament, where it is expected to be adopted in the course of 2000 and possibly
entering into force on 1 January 2001. Although the final draft is yet to be finalised, it is possible
to describe the main changes to come as follows:
One-status system
All asylum seekers deemed eligible to stay in the Netherlands following the examination of their
claim will receive the same residence permit valid for up to three years. During this period, the
permit can be withdrawn if the grounds, which have justified its granting, have ceased to exist, for
public order reasons or if the asylum seeker has given false personal data.
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The Netherlands