The number of refugees arriving in the Netherlands in April fell again to 924, below the number who arrived in April 2015, according to immigration service figures.

The steady reduction since the surge in asylum seekers in September and October shows that measures to improve border controls and the controversial deal with Turkey are having an impact, the justice ministry said.

Just 100 of the April applications came from Syrian nationals, while 134 came from Albanians. Albania is considered a safe third country and applications are likely to be rejected. Some 75 people from Serbia also applied for asylum.

‘Applications from safe countries are dealt with by the IND as a matter of priority… and they are almost always rejected,’ a spokeswoman said. ‘In addition, they are banned from re-entering the country.’

The government hopes that this year fewer than 26,000 people will apply for asylum in the Netherlands and that most of those who do are family members travelling here to join parents and children, the Volkskrant says.

Applications in the first four months of the year total 9,250.