DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

16 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Asylum task force is not coping with refugee application backlog: VK

August 6, 2020
Asylum seekers demonstrate in Zweeloo. Photo: Marcel van den Bergh ANP
Asylum seekers demonstrate in Zweeloo. Photo: Marcel van den Bergh ANP

A special task force set up by the immigration service to work away the backlog of asylum applications is not doing its job, with incomplete files, cancelled appointments and difficult phone contact among the list of complaints, the Volkskrant reported on Thursday.

Immigration lawyers have told the paper that the task force – 180 IND staff, 40 people from the deportation service and 200 people employed via staffing agencies – is too inexperienced to solve the problems at the service.

The task force has been charged with dealing with 14,000 cases by the end of the year, following mounting political concern about the lengthy asylum procedures. So far, it has dealt with 3,000 cases.

Lawyers told the VK that even solid cases for asylum, from people from Syria and Jemen are not being finalised within the required two week period.

There have been several demonstrations at refugee centres in recent weeks about the lack of clarity about procedures. Some asylum seekers have contacted DutchNews.nl, complaining that people arriving after them are having their cases dealt with more quickly which, they say, is leaving them ‘upset, disappointed and frustrated’.

The task force focuses on people who arrived in the Netherlands before April 1 while new arrivals fall under the regular procedures, and this is likely to mean their cases will be examined earlier.

Asylum seekers have been paid millions of euros in compensation in the past few years because their cases are taking too long to deal with. The compensation scheme has since been scrapped.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
“As long as human beings have existed, we’ve moved and migrated"
Former D66 leader and author Jan Terlouw dies aged 93
More councils back call for tougher Dutch line on Israel
Media group DPG's takeover of RTL Nederland set to go ahead
Commission slams poor quality of nuclear waste report
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now