The Dutch government presented its precise plans for asylum on Friday, 13 September 2024, and explained the plans in more detail on Prinsjesdag. 4 months ago the government already shared general plans in an earlier agreement. Now the government explains more precisely what stricter rules for asylum migration it wants to introduce.
The Minister of Asylum and Migration and the Prime Minister want to declare an asylum crisis as soon as possible through emergency law. This is a special right that the government may use in an emergency, such as if there is war. They want to use this right now to immediately introduce strict measures to reduce the asylum influx. These measures will then not have to be approved first by a majority of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Dutch government plans to declare the asylum crisis on or after Prinsjesdag on 17 September 2024. Prinsjesdag takes place every year on the 3rd Tuesday of September and is an important day in the Netherlands. On that day, the government, through the king, presents its plans for the coming year. The king delivers the Throne Speech, in which he explains the government's main plans for the coming year. The Minister of Finance then shows the financial plans to the House of Representatives. Those plans state what the government wants to spend money on and what it wants to cut back on.
Normally, a majority of the House of Representatives and the Senate must authorise this type of measure. But by using emergency law, the government does not have to wait for permission from both of them. The government can then start implementing the rules already and only has to ask for approval afterwards. According to NOS, this is being met with much criticism. Several experts say the government should not use the law in this way. The
The government wants to temporarily withhold decisions on new asylum applications. This would mean that people applying for asylum would have to wait much longer before a decision on their application.
The government wants to repeal the Dutch Distribution Act. That is the law that deals with how reception centres are arranged in the Netherlands. This would mean fewer places in reception centres.
The government wants to assess your 2nd asylum application more strictly if your previous asylum application has been rejected.
The government wants to reject asylum applications from people who do not show up for an appointment with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).
The government wants less family reunification. They want to arrange this by allowing people with asylum residence permits to only apply for family reunification after 2 years.
The government no longer wants to give you a permanent asylum permit when your 5-year residence permit expires. So even if you have been in the Netherlands for 5 years or more, you must return to your country of origin as soon as it is safe there again.
The government wants to introduce a system in which some people seeking asylum have more rights than others.
The government wants to make reception centres rules even stricter.
The government has now announced the more precise plans. But these rules do not yet apply. The Prime Minister said on Prinsjesdag that the government needs time to implement the asylum plans. It may take another few weeks to a few months before we know if and how these rules will be implemented.