The number of new refugees coming to the Netherlands fell for the third quarter in a row in the first three months of this year, the national statistics agency CBS said on Monday.

In total, 5,405 people applied for asylum in the Netherlands and 840 people applied to join family members who are already settled here. However, over 1,200 of new applications were made by people from countries considered safe by the Dutch authorities, the CBS figures show.

The largest group of new applicants – 575 – came from Syria, followed by Nigeria (485) and Iran (470). The number of asylum seekers from both Nigeria and Iran rose sharply compared with the same period in 2018.

There were also more people applying for refugee status from Morocco, Moldova, Algeria and Turkey – countries which are regarded as safe and where the chance of being awarded refugee status is virtually zero.