More asylum seekers and following relatives in Q2 2021

In Q2 2021, altogether 3,355 first-time asylum requests were submitted, approximately 25 percent more than in the first quarter. The number more than doubled compared to Q2 2020, when 1,255 people submitted a first-time application.

In mid-March 2020, the coronavirus crisis broke out in the Netherlands, which resulted in fewer applications in the second quarter of 2020. Subsequently, the number of asylum requests increased again, but remained below the level of 2019. In Q2 2021, the number of first-time applications was 35 percent down on Q2 2019.

Due to the fact that travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19 were (partially) lifted internationally, IND recorded an increase in the number of asylum requests, particularly in June. June saw the highest number of asylum applications in the second quarter: 1,490, against 915 and 955 in April and May respectively.

Almost 1 in 3 asylum seekers from Syria

Just as in previous quarters, Syrian nationals constituted the largest group of asylum seekers in Q2 2021 with 1,015 first-time applications. This is 13 percent (115 applications) more than in the first quarter and nearly three times as many (655 applications) as in the same quarter last year.

After Syrians, Turkish (380) and Afghan (210) nationals formed the largest groups during the second quarter of 2021. Compared to Q1 2021, the vast majority of nationalities saw an increase in the number of asylum requests. The sharpest increase was seen among Turkish nationals (quadrupled after a dip in the previous quarter), Moroccan nationals (+54 percent) and Eritrean nationals (+56 percent).

More family reunification due to catch-up

The number of following family members rose to 2,580 in the second quarter of 2021. This is 1,085 more than in the previous quarter (a 73-percent increase). In Q2 2020, the number had dropped to 260 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The number has increased again since then, to a higher level than before the crisis. This is partly due to the fact that both asylum seekers and following relatives waited to submit an application during the COVID-19 period. In the second quarter of this year, travel restrictions were (partially) lifted, after which there was a catching-up period. Compared to Q2 2019, the Netherlands received 86 percent more following family members.

The increase in the number of following family members in the second quarter of this year is almost entirely attributable to Syrian or Eritrean nationals. The number of following relatives with Syrian nationality rose by 880 (122 percent) compared to the previous quarter, while the number with Eritrean nationality was up by 180 (56 percent).