Asylum seekers from countries that are deemed safe to return to will lose the right to work in the Netherlands from next June under new rules being introduced across the EU.

People deemed a security risk will also be banned from working, caretaker social affairs minister Mariëlle Paul has ruled. The changes are part of the roll-out of the European migration pact, which comes into force from June 12.

At the same time, the rules will be relaxed for other refugees, reducing the time they have to wait before they can work from six months to three and officially scrapping the limit on how many weeks a year they can work.

The 24-week limit has not been enforced since it was successfully challenged in court two years ago.

“Those who have a strong chance of being allowed to stay in the Netherlands should participate as soon as possible,” Paul told the Telegraaf. “Having a job is good for people and lets them make an important contribution to the economy and society.”

The Netherlands scrapped its list of so-called safe countries in August following a series of rulings by the European Court of Justice that placed limits on which regions are eligible.

EU list

The number of people arriving from countries that were previously deemed safe, such as Morocco and Tunisia, has fallen steeply since the turn of the year.

The EU is currently drawing up its own list, which is expected to come into force at the same time as the migration pact.

Official figures published this week showed that the total number of asylum seekers dropped by 33% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

The statistics agency CBS said 16,800 first-time asylum applications were made between January and September, down from 25,000 in 2024. It is the lowest figure since 2021, when the country was emerging from pandemic restrictions.

A fall in the number of refugees from Syria since the overthrow of the Assad regime is one of the main reasons for the decline. Last year 8,900 Syrians arrived in the Netherlands in the first nine months of the year, compared to 2,400 this year.

Eritreans are now the largest refugee group, with 2,200 arriving in the last six months.