A quarter of asylum seekers arriving in the Netherlands in 2016 came from a country on the immigration service’s safe list, according to figures quoted in NRC.

The IND said Syrians were the largest group of refugees, accounting for around 1,000 of the 6,300 asylum applications so far this year. Around 900 applications came from nationals of Serbia, Albania and Kosovo, all of which are regarded as safe by the Netherlands.

The agency changed its proedures on March 1 to give priority to applications from so-called safe countries, in the hope that invalid claims can be rejected more quickly.

Countries are deemed safe if people are not persecuted on grounds of race or religion or at risk of torture or inhuman treatment. Individuals from these countries can still claim asylum, but need to show that their personal safety is in danger.

Around 4,400 new asylum applications have been made since the turn of the year, as well as 1,600 applications from family members of people with refugee status and 300 renewed applications.