The number of asylum seekers arriving in the Netherlands has dropped to its lowest seasonal level since the coronavirus pandemic, latest figures from the immigration ministry show.

Around 900 people claimed asylum in the first week of October, compared to 1400 in the same period in 2023. The figure includes first-time applicants, repeat applicants and family members applying to join their relatives in the Netherlands.

The autumn is usually the peak period for asylum applications, but this year’s busiest week was in the first half of April, when roughly 1,100 refugees arrived. The asylum ministry’s figures are rounded off to the nearest 100.

So far this year around 35,000 people have claimed asylum in the Netherlands, the same number as a year ago. The total number for 2023 was just over 50,000, following a spike in the last three months of the year when between 1,200 and 1,500 people a week arrived.