Overview asylum statistics 2011

“An increase of 25% in the number of asylum applications compared to the previous year, but also an increasing number of asylum decisions.” This is how Dirk Van den Bulck, Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Person, describes in a nutshell the balance between the inflow of asylum applications and the number of asylum decisions made in 2011. The Office of the Commissioner General has published today the asylum statistics for 2011 on its website.

More asylum applications

In 2011, 25,479 asylum applications were registered in Belgium. This corresponds to an increase of 27.8 % compared to 2010 and a monthly average of 2,123 applications, the highest such figure since 2001. One out of five asylum applications is not a first application in Belgium. The number of these subsequent applications has increased by 51% compared to 2010. One notes in particular that nationals from Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia often make subsequent applications.

In 2011, the main countries of origin of asylum applicants were the following: Afghanistan (with also an increase in other EU member states), Guinea (from which Belgium and France receive by far the most applications in the EU), Iraq and Russia. With Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania, the Balkans were still well represented in the top 10 of countries of origin in 2011. Their share varies constantly, according to the impact of dissuasion campaigns, accelerated treatment and return actions.

More decisions

Last year, the Immigration Department transferred 19,368 asylum dossiers to the CGRS for examination. The CGRS made 16,828 asylum decisions in 2011, an increase of 45.8 % compared to 2010 and of 87.7% compared to 2009. This increase was particularly noteworthy in the last trimester, with a monthly average of 1,600 decisions. New collaborators were recruited by the CGRS in the first half of 2011 and internal measures were also taken to enhance its efficiency. These two factors explain the sharp increase in the annual output of the CGRS.

Three times as many rejections than recognitions

For almost one out of four asylum applications (23.5%), the CGRS concluded that the applicant was in need of protection: 17% of decisions made in 2011 were decisions to grant refugee status and 6.5% were decisions to grant subsidiary protection. Nationals from Iraq, Afghanistan and Guinea accounted for more than one out of two decisions to grant refugee status in 2011.

Main lines for a more efficient asylum procedure in 2012

In 2012, even more asylum decisions will be made by the CGRS thanks to the new collaborators recruited in the second half of 2011, who are by now fully operational. Only asylum cases from the Balkans have so far been subjected to an accelerated treatment, but from 2012, this will be generalized to all asylum applications: for every new application, the CGRS intends to reach a decision within a maximum of three months.
The CGRS will also continue to promote collaboration between the different services concerned, so as to contain the inflow of asylum applicants in Belgium on a structural basis. First of all, dissuasion campaigns and return actions will be continued, but investigations concerning networks of people smugglers will also be reinforced and new measures taken against their activities. Simultaneous or successive procedures by foreigners in Belgium (e.g. asylum procedure and regularisation procedure on medical grounds) will also be more closely monitored.

30 December 2011

Information about the asylum procedure, tailored to the asylum seeker, can be found at : asyluminbelgium.be.