IND director deems asylum procedure unsustainable and wants faster admissions | NOW

The new director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) Christine Nijkamp has nothing good to say about the asylum system in the Netherlands. You call the system “failed” and argue that the current procedures take too long.

According to Nijkamp, ​​some groups of asylum seekers should be given the benefit of the doubt to make the situation viable again. This is what Friday says One today.

In total, some 26,000 asylum applications are awaiting evaluation by the IND. This number is expected to rise to 35,000. Those asylum seekers occupy posts in the already overcrowded centers for asylum seekers.

According to Nijkamp, ​​who started at IND in July as director of Asylum and Protection, the current asylum system creates an unfeasible situation for service employees. Every asylum seeker has to undergo a thorough procedure and this takes too much time and personnel.

Therefore it claims to give people the benefit of the doubt more quickly. “Grant access to people from Syria unless there are other factors that would prevent them from obtaining it,” says Nijkamp. Syrian refugees can stay here in almost any case because it is dangerous in their home country.

The director previously worked at the Revenue Agency, where she saw how quickly people can be controlled by a government agency. “Only a small fraction of the taxpayers are audited, because we automate it. You can never evaluate 100 percent of the returns there.” And Nijkamp also sees it in the asylum chain.

IND must speak to each refugee separately, even if there is no capacity to do so. “And we don’t have enough options to handle it automatically. It’s not possible,” concludes Nijkamp. And so, in her opinion, the current asylum system leads to an impractical situation for IND employees.

The Secretary of State is working on new plans

Nijkamp also sees that organizing the asylum process is ultimately a political choice. Asylum Secretary Eric van der Burg says in response to Nijkamp’s statements that this really depends on politicians. According to him, the cabinet will consider how to set up a “robust system, also for the future”.

“This also means something for legislation and regulations,” says Van der Burg. “I’m not anticipating it. And it’s up to the politicians to make the decisions.”

This month he has to present a new proposal for the way procedures are set up for asylum seekers in the Netherlands. The secretary of state discussed it on Thursday evening, but the plan is not yet ready. It will therefore not be discussed in the Council of Ministers this week.