Author
| Name in English | Number of staff | Ministry responsible | Is there any political interference possible by the responsible Minister with the decision making in individual cases by the determining authority? |
| Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) | 6,438 FTE[1] | Ministry of Security and Justice | Yes |
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is responsible for examining applications for international protection and taking decisions at first instance. The work instructions applied by caseworkers are published in Dutch on the IND’s website.[2] This includes procedural instructions on, inter alia, interviews, subsequent applications, age assessments, border procedures, and the use of country of origin information. Additionally, it provides information on how to work with an interpreter, how to handle medical advice, how to decide in cases in which sexual orientation and gender identity issues are brought up as grounds for asylum, or how to conduct child-friendly interviews.
To keep up with the yearly increase in the number of asylum requests, the IND has gradually been raising its capacity. The number of IND personnel has increased from 3,788.5 FTE in 2018, to 4,302 FTE in 2019, 4,762 FTE in 2020, 4,969 FTE in 2021, 5,393 in 2022 and 6,039 in 2023 (FTE being a ‘fulltime-equivalent’, where one FTE corresponds to a full workweek for one person).[3] This number increased to 6,438 in 2024. In addition, the IND has experimented with different methods to make the asylum procedure more efficient, for example by implementing a written interview or outsourcing positive decisions to external partners. However, the backlog of cases continues to grow, increasing from 31,340 to 44,030 asylum requests in the Regular and Extended Procedures (excluding family reunification and Tracks 1 and 2, see Procedures) during the first eleven months of 2023.[4] This number has reached 50,970 as of February 2025.[5]
In addition to the staff of the IND, there was also European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) personnel present on Dutch territory in 2024. Because of the ongoing accommodation crisis, on 21 December 2021 the then Minister for Migration addressed a letter to the EUAA requesting support in dealing with this crisis. In the rapid needs assessment conducted over the following months, it was concluded that the EUAA would provide up to 160 temporary containers and 7 staff members in support to reception activities.
In May 2022, the EUAA signed its first operational plan with the Netherlands, to address temporary reception needs, as well as to provide operational support in the field of reception.[6] In December 2022, the EUAA and the Netherlands signed an amendment and extension of the plan for continued operational support.[7] The plan was subsequently amended and extended twice: for continued support in 2024 extending to both asylum and reception,[8] and for continuation of support until June 2026, with a focus on reception support.[9]
Throughout 2024, the EUAA deployed 67 experts to the Netherlands, mainly external experts (52).[10] These included 28 Junior Reception Child Protection Experts, 14 senior case experts and 8 junior asylum information provision experts.[11]
As of 11 December 2024, a total of 24 EUAA experts were deployed in the Netherlands, out of which 17 were junior reception child protection experts and 3 junior asylum information provision experts.[12]
The EUAA supported the Netherlands in the processing of asylum applications from January 2024 to June 2024. In this context, EUAA caseworkers carried out interviews concerning 1,592 applicants, all of which were Syrian.[13]
In 2024, the EUAA delivered 7 training sessions to a total of 56 local staff members.[14]
[1] IND, Jaarcijfers 2024, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/4ijdfI9.
[2] IND, ’Cijfers en Publicaties’, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/4iFFFMk.
[3] IND, Annual reports 2018 – 2022, available at: Annual Reports | IND.
[4] IND, De IND in cijfers, 16 January 2024, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/48moKJP.
[5] IND, De IND in cijfers, 20 March2025, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/4kDCars.
[6] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022 agreed with the European Union Agency for Asylum and the Netherlands, 6 May 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3ypVNMJ, Annex 1.
[7] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2023 agreed with the European Union Agency for Asylum and the Netherlands, December 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3FenQ5x, Annex 1.
[8] EUAA, Operational Plan 2024 agreed with the European Union Agency for Asylum and the Netherlands, December 2023, available here.
[9] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2026 agreed with the European Union Agency for Asylum and the Netherlands – Amendment 3, December 2024, available here.
[10] EUAA personnel numbers do not include deployed interpreters by the EUAA in support of asylum and reception activities.
[11] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.
[12] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.
[13] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.
[14] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.