Executive summary

From 2014 onward, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) monitors all asylum seekers who have entered COA reception centres and the status holders who have received an asylum residence permit, including their following family members after family reunification. In this seventh annual report about the cohort study, CBS gives insight into the inflows of asylum seekers at COA reception centres and into the composition of the latest status holder cohorts from 2014 up to and including the first half of 2022. Furthermore, this web publication provides an up-to-date account of how the status holders are faring who have obtained asylum residence permits from 2014 onward. Figures are presented including the inflow and outflow at COA reception centres, the waiting period for an asylum residence permit, housing, civic integration, household composition, family reunification, education, naturalisation, work and income, health care utilisation and crime. In addition, this report pays special attention to unaccompanied minor foreign nationals (AMVs) while a separate chapter has been added about Ukrainian refugees. This study was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW).

Described below are recent developments around the latest inflows of asylum seekers and the length of their stay at COA reception centres:

• High annual inflows at COA shelters since 2021 – After declining temporarily in 2020, the total number of asylum seekers entering the shelters in 2021 exceeded previous years. The number admitted over the first half of 2022 was higher than in the first half of 2021 (9,500). The temporary decline – mainly in the first half of 2020 – was a result of the coronavirus crisis. In that period, border measures were implemented in numerous origin countries as well as in the Netherlands; asylum interviews and court hearings could not take place; and asylum seekers were placed in emergency shelters instead of COA reception centres. In Ter Apel, identification and registration were halted temporarily and asylum applications could not be submitted. As of late April 2020, many temporary measures were phased out again and the inflow at COA reception centres started to increase.
• More asylum seekers from Yemen – More asylum seekers have arrived from Yemen, especially since 2020. In 2018 and 2019, there was a large influx of asylum seekers from safe countries such as Morocco and Algeria. Turkey has ranked among the top five of nationalities with the largest inflow into COA shelters since 2018. As of 2020, the largest group after Syrians are no longer Eritreans but Afghans.
• Share of following relatives slightly down in 2022 – Most family reunification takes place among Syrians and Eritreans. Among Syrian asylum seekers, the share (and absolute number) of following relatives declined between 2016 and 2021 (from 65 to 41 percent). Of the applicants from Syria arriving in the first half of 2022, 31 percent were following family members.
• Relatively many young men – To date, still over three-quarters of all asylum seekers are under the age of 35 at the time of arrival in the Netherlands. At 66 percent, the share of men remained high throughout 2021 and the second half of 2022. Just as in the first couple of years, these were predominantly young men.
• Share of Syrian men rising again – Since 2020, roughly two thirds of the asylum seekers from Syria have been (young) men. This resembles the picture of the first two asylum cohorts, from 2014 and 2015. Especially in 2016–2017, women and young children held slightly higher shares than in the previous and the most recent years. This was largely due to the relatively high shares of following family members among Syrians compared to the other years. In the first half of 2022, 64 percent of the applicants were male.
• Fewer single Syrian men, fewer Eritrean children – In 2021 and the first half of 2022, 45 percent of all asylum seekers travelled to the Netherlands as families. In 2017, this share was still 59 percent. Between 2020 and 2021, the share of single men among Syrians fell again. Among Eritreans, it was the share of minors that declined between 2020 and the first half of 2022.
• Slightly more relocations at COA shelters among recent cohorts – Asylum seekers who entered COA reception centres in the period 2020–2021 were relocated almost once on average in the first six months of their stay. This was still 1.7 times among those who entered in 2014. Between 2014 and 2019, the average number of relocations during the first six months gradually declined.
• Fewer receiving a permit within 12 months, but more again in 2020 – In the 2018 and 2019 cohorts, for all nationalities combined, the share that obtained a temporary asylum residence permit within 12 months was lower than in previous cohorts. In 2020, however, the share rose to 74 percent, slightly above the 2018 level. The shares among different inflow cohorts and nationalitiesnoot1 show great variety, ranging from 8 percent (Iran, 2019) to 98 percent (Syria, 2014). Only Eritrean asylum seekers from the 2020 cohort showed a modest decline in the number obtaining a residence permit relative to the previous cohort.
• After 7.5 years, still 240 asylum seekers from 2014 cohort at COA shelter without permit – This does not mean the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is currently still processing the applications of all these persons. Some stay at the reception centre after being rejected to await their departure, others stay pending a court ruling after an appeal. Furthermore, following a rejection, applicants may file a second or subsequent asylum application, for example when their situation has changed or because new information has become available about their country of origin.
• Eritreans arriving in 2016 and 2017 remain at shelters more briefly on average due to more family reunification – For those Eritreans who entered the Netherlands in 2016 and 2017, the housing situation has improved: 80 percent were given housing within 12 months. For Syrians who entered in these years, the share with housing after twelve months increased further to 87 percent; this was due to the fact that a significant share of those arriving in recent years were following relatives.
• Recent arrivals from Afghanistan less likely to obtain housing – The asylum applications of Afghan nationals are relatively often rejected compared to, for example, Syrians and Eritreans. A relatively large group of Afghan asylum seekers are staying at COA reception centres longer than twelve months without receiving a residence permit. At the same time, as of 2018, Afghan nationals are less likely to move onto a home of their own.
• Fewer following relatives and more departures among recent cohorts – Approximately 20 percent of the 2014 and 2015 asylum cohorts arranged for their family members to come over by using the family reunification permit scheme. This share was lower for more recent cohorts (2016–2019), namely 2 to 7 percent. At the same time, the 2016 to 2019 cohorts saw more departures relative to the first two cohorts.
• Over 18 thousand unaccompanied minor aliens (AMVs) – Since 2014, 18 thousand young foreign nationals have used the special measures for AMVs. Of this group, more than 16 thousand arrived through a COA reception centre; the remainder were placed by Nidos. Almost 60 percent of the AMVs were made up of Syrians (31 percent) and Eritreans (28 percent). Especially in 2015, a large group (4,500) of new AMVs used this special measure. In the first half of 2022, nearly 1,500 young foreign nationals fell under this measure. Two thirds of all AMVs are 15 to 17 years old while 80 percent are male. Among AMVs as well, the more recent cohorts have used the family reunification scheme less often; however, the share of applicants in those cohorts is still higher than in the total inflow at COA.

Described below are recent developments in the housing and civic integration of status holders and their following family members, as well as family reunification applicants:

• Number of permits granted up again since 2020 – In the first half of 2022, the number of permits granted (20 thousand) exceeded the numbers in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Family members following the status holder receive a (derived) asylum residence permit and as such are also included among the status holders in this study, just as the family reunification applicants.
• Top five nationalitiesnoot2 has changed, top two virtually constant – In the period 2014 to 2020 inclusive, Syria and Eritrea formed the largest and second largest group respectively; in 2021, Afghanistan was in second place, while Turkey occupied second place in the first half of 2022. Turkey and Yemen entered the top five in 2019 and have remained there ever since, with the exception of Yemen in 2021.
• More following relatives among Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish status holders in 2021; slight drop again in 2022 – Similar to the asylum requests, following an initial increase, progressively few status holders concern following family members. In 2014 the share of residence permits granted to a following family member stood at 27 percent. This share had increased to 51 percent by 2017. It subsequently dropped to 22 percent in 2020, after which there was a rise to 36 percent. In the first half of 2022, the share decreased slightly again (29 percent). The same pattern is seen among status holders with Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish nationality. Nevertheless, the share of following family members remained high in the first half of 2022 among Syrians; much higher than among the other nationalities.
• Average waiting time shortest for Syrians due to family reunification – Syrian and Eritrean family members obtain a residence permit relatively quickly. The family reunification procedure results in a shorter average waiting time. Relatively many family members are included in the most recent cohort, particularly among Syrians.
• Few regional differences – There is not much difference between the nationalities and permit cohorts in terms of their geographical spread across the Netherlands. Even two years after leaving the COA reception centres, status holders are still living spread across the country.
• More and more urban dwellers among status holders – The longer they reside in the Netherlands, the more status holders are inclined to live in a more urban environment. In the 2015 permit cohort, 54 percent were living in strongly or very strongly urbanised areas after two months; this had increased to 58 percent after six years.
• Status holders predominantly living in rented homes – Of the 215 thousand status holders who received a residence permit in the period 2014 to mid-2021, the vast majority (95 percent) were living in rented dwellings as of 1 July 2022, forming 74 thousand households.
• Ever more status holders are accompanied children; number of single persons declining – A growing share of the permit cohorts from 2016 and subsequent years are minor children accompanied by their parent(s) or couples (either with or without children). In the 2014 permit cohort, the share of accompanied minors is 28 percent. This is 64 percent in the 2022 cohort (first six months). The share of single persons continues to decline. Of the group receiving a permit in 2014, 39 percent were single persons at the time they are housed in a municipality. This is a mere 2 percent among the status holders from the first half of 2022.
• Education enrolment increasing – An ever larger share of status holders in successive cohorts are enrolled in education (55 percent of the 2018 cohort in 2022). Even young people aged 18 and over, for whom education is not compulsory, are progressively likely to be in education as their duration of stay becomes longer.
• High education participation rate among recent AMV cohorts – Among the various cohorts of AMVs, a steadily rising share are attending education as of 1 October 2022. For example, 44 percent of all AMVs who obtained their permit in 2014 were following education as at 1 October 2022. This was 80 percent in the 2020 cohort.
• Enrolment in MBO no longer increasing, higher participation in HBO and WO – Most status holders who complete secondary education here move on to senior secondary vocational education (MBO). As of October 2022, 50 percent of all status holders who received an asylum residence permit in 2014 were enrolled in an MBO programme. This is slightly more than in October of the previous year (47 percent). The drop in MBO attendance is accompanied by a rise in enrolments in higher professional (HBO) and university (WO) education.
• Majority of AMVs attend MBO; HBO and WO attendance rising – Of all AMVs from the 2014 cohort, 72 percent were attending MBO as at 1 October 2017. This percentage had increased to 82 by 2022. In addition, a growing number of AMVs attend HBO or WO. Of the AMVs receiving a residence permit in 2014, 9 percent were attending HBO or WO as at 1 October 2022, against less than 2 percent on 1 October 2017.
• MBO level rising – Of the status holders who received a residence permit in 2014 and who subsequently enrolled in MBO, the vast majority were initially enrolled at Level 1. Since 2018, the share following Level 2 education has exceeded the share following Level 1. The same applies to the 2016 and 2017 cohorts, but as of 2020 and 2021, respectively. AMVs as well were eventually more likely to attend Level 2 than Level 1 MBO.
• 44 percent of the 2014 cohort passed civic integration exam; 29 percent were exempt – Of the almost 20 thousand persons who received an asylum residence permit in 2014, 44 percent passed the civic integration exam; 29 percent were not subject to the integration requirement, including nearly all those under 18 as well as those aged 65 and over: they are exempt from the civic integration requirement. Another 19 percent of the status holders from the 2014 cohort obtained dispensation. Only a fraction of status holders from the 2014 cohort had not yet passed their civic integration exam by October 2022 or obtained extra time.
• Nearly all candidates from the 2014 cohort met the civic integration requirement – When solely taking into account those in the 2014 permit cohort with a civic integration obligation, 68 percent had passed the civic integration exam (or received exemption) by October 2022. In addition, 29 percent had received dispensation, 2 percent had not yet obtained their certificate (but were allowed extra time), while only 1 percent of those with a civic integration obligation had not yet passed that exam and had exceeded the time limit set on civic integration.
• Language level mostly at A2, mainly among Eritreans – Civic integration candidates learn how to read, write and speak the Dutch language to at least A2 level. This is the most basic language level necessary to get by in daily life. Status holders are also able to pursue a higher level, for example when they are planning to enrol in education or find a job after their civic integration. Eighty-six percent of those from the 2014 permit cohort who passed the civic integration exam did so at A2 level.
• More naturalisations – When status holders have been staying in the Netherlands for five years, they can apply for Dutch citizenship under certain conditions. Of the 2014 permit cohort, 83 percent did so successfully within 90 months. The share of naturalisations is highest among Syrian status holders at 91 percent within 90 months.
• Rising share in work: effect of coronavirus crisis seems gone – In the 2014 permit cohort, we see that 45 percent of all status holders aged 18 to 64 years are in employment after 7.5 years. Not only do we see a steadily rising labour participation rate, but the gaps in labour participation among the nationalities have also become narrower. The majority of status holders in employment are part-time workers (53 percent) while 79 percent work under a temporary contract. Following a modest decline – most likely related to the coronavirus crisis, during which people on temporary contracts (those working in accommodation and food services and through employment agencies) were hit relatively hard – the share in employment has risen again in recent months.
  Compared to the total group of status holders, AMVs are somewhat more likely to work part-time, on a temporary employment contract, through an employment agency or in accommodation and food services (but less in trade) and less likely as self-employed.
• Nearly 45 percent of status holders in work from the 2014 cohort eventually work full time – A significant proportion of the status holders begin their working life here in a part-time job. Two years after obtaining their residence permit, approximately half of the 2014 cohort have a job with a part-time factor of 0.25 FTE. Forty-four percent of the employed status holders from the 2014 cohort eventually work full-time. Those working less than 0.5 FTE then account for approximately one quarter.
• Share of benefit recipients further down – One and a half years after obtaining a residence permit, 90 percent of all 18 to 64-year-olds who obtained it in 2014 were depending on social assistance benefits. Six years later, i.e. 7.5 years after obtaining their permit, that share was down to slightly over a third, with smaller differences between the various nationalities.noot3
• Still few income differences between the nationalities – This is due to the fact that a significant share of the status holders receive social assistance benefits, which are fixed amounts depending on the family situation.
• Care use not increasing further – 86 percent of all adult status holders (cohort aged 18 and over) who received a permit in 2014 and were no longer staying at a COA shelter by the end of 2015 had healthcare costs related to GP visits; two years on (in 2017), nearly 98 percent of the status holders from the 2014 cohort had had healthcare costs related to GP visits. This means that they were registered with a GP. Healthcare use among status holders from the 2014 cohort remained virtually the same throughout 2018, 2019 and 2020. Healthcare use among Eritrean status holders showed the sharpest rise: whereas in 2015, 77 percent had GP-related healthcare costs, by 2020 this was 98 percent.
• Share of young people receiving youth care rising slightly – Of all young people (aged 21 or under) who obtained an asylum residence permit in 2014 or 2015 and were no longer residing at a COA reception centre, approximately 5 percent were using some form of youth care in 2016. Two years later, that share had risen to 8 percent. In the years 2019 to 2021 inclusive, the share remained more or less stable, ranging between 8.5 and 9.5 percent. This refers to care provided to young people and their parents in case of psychological, psychosocial and/or behavioural problems, a mental disability or parenting problems (youth assistance); placing unaccompanied minor status holders under custody (youth protection), and youth probation.
• More users of youth care among AMVs – The use of youth care services by AMVs hardly differs from the use by the total group of young status holders. Of all AMVs who obtained an asylum residence permit in 2014 or 2015 and were no longer residing at a COA reception centre, 9.5 percent were using some form of youth care in 2021, the same percentage as for the total group of young status holders. However, the use of youth care among AMVs has increased more sharply in recent years compared to the total group.
• Little change in share of registered crime suspects – Male status holders are (still) relatively more often criminal suspects than men with a Dutch or a western migration background, but less often compared to men with a non-western migration background.

Recent developments around Ukrainians who have fled to the Netherlands since 24 February 2022:

• More women than men – As at 1 July 2022, a total of 73,500 persons from Ukraine were residing in the Netherlands. These include 67,660 persons with Ukrainian nationality and 5,740 persons with non-Ukrainian nationality. Almost two in three Ukrainians are women (64 percent) while a majority of the men are aged either under 20 or above 60.
• Everyone living independently – Almost all refugees from Ukraine live in a municipality in independent housing. Only a few individuals are residing in a COA reception centre as at 1 July 2022, while a few have left the country.
• Mostly single persons and minors staying with parent(s) – As at one month after settling in the Netherlands, 39 percent of all refugees from Ukraine are single persons. Almost a quarter are minor children living with parent(s) and just over 10 percent are parents in a single-parent household.
• Over a third are employed after three months – Three months after settling in the Netherlands, 36 percent of the refugees from Ukraine are employed. Compared to the regular asylum status holders, Ukrainians are much more likely to be employed. This can be explained by the fact that, under the Temporary Protection Directive, Ukrainian refugees are immediately allowed to work without having to await a labour permit. Most Ukrainian refugees work in the temporary employment sector (41 percent) or accommodation and food services sector (20 percent), similar to the regular asylum status holders.