Number of asylum requests rising further in Q3 2021

In Q3 2021, 8,845 first-time asylum requests were submitted. This is more than two and a half times the number in the second quarter, when 3,355 people submitted a first application. Just as in the preceding quarters, Syrian nationals constituted the largest group of asylum seekers with 2,550 first-time applications. This is more than two and a half times as many as in the second quarter (1,015).

After Syrians, Afghan and Turkish nationals constituted the largest groups in Q3. The sharpest increase was seen in the group of Afghan applicants. At 1,565, the number of first-time asylum applications was more than seven times as high as in the previous quarter, when 210 Afghan nationals sought asylum for the first time. The number of requests from Turkish nationals quadrupled, from 380 in Q2 to 1,540 in Q3.

7 percent more following relatives than in Q2

In Q3 2021, the Netherlands received 2,770 people arriving for family reunification , 190 more than in the previous quarter (+7 percent). The increase is almost entirely on account of Syrian and Turkish nationals. The number of Syrian family members rose by 145 compared to the previous quarter, while the number of Turkish family members was up by 130 in the same period. The number of Eritrean and Yemeni nationals decreased compared to the previous quarter, by 135 and 60 respectively.