SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – The waiting lists to process applications for official refugee status will grow in the coming years, according to new estimates from the asylum and migration ministry.
It currently takes an average of 61 weeks to process a claim, compared with just over 52 last year, broadcaster NOS reported on Tuesday.
At present, 69,000 people are waiting for their applications to be dealt with and that will have risen to 91,000 next year, according to ministry projections. Despite this, migration minister Marjolein Faber is planning to slash spending on the immigration service IND and refugee settlement agency COA, her budget documents show.
MPs are due to debate the migration ministry’s budget on Tuesday and questions have already been asked about the spending plans.
In 2026, the ministry’s budget will be €9.8 billion but by 2027 ministry’s spending allocation will be slashed to just €2.9 billion.
MPs have questioned the drastic cuts, particularly in light of the projected increase in waiting times. Even if fewer refugees come to the Netherlands following the implementation of the government’s “toughest ever asylum regime”, staff will still be needed to sort out the backlog of applications, MPs say.
GroenLinks-PvdA parliamentarian Kati Piri said she believed the cuts were part of Faber’s plan. This is “negligence in order to create even more chaos,” she said.
CDA leader Henri Bontenbal has called on the ministry to make sure there are enough IND staff to process claims quickly. This would be both more humane and would save cash in the long run.
Coalition party NSC has also questioned the impact of the cuts on IND morale. “We must not repeat the past few years in which the IND budget was always set too low,” MP Diederik Boomsma said.
Cutting the IND’s budget will force the organisation to make savings and that will only boost the backlog, he said.
Audit office
The national audit office earlier criticised Faber’s spending plans, saying they would lead to cutbacks even though there is enough work for the IND to do.
Faber’s figures also show that the cost of a regular place for a refugee is some €32,000 a year but that emergency accommodation costs €94,000. The refugee settlement agency currently has some 95 regular and 200 emergency locations in operation.
The minister is planning to scrap legislation which will ensure refugees are housed all over the country in order to spread the burden more equitably. Most local councils have urged the minister, who represents the far right PVV, to rethink.
(DutchNews)
