THE HAGUE - The Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) has been hit with 36.8 million euros in penalties in 2024, as it struggles to keep up with a growing backlog of asylum and family reunification applications. Despite processing more cases than the year before, the agency has faced increasing delays, especially in the handling of family reunification requests and asylum appeals, leading to a surge in legal challenges and penalties for missed decision deadlines.
The number of judicial procedures, including appeals and lawsuits against the IND, nearly doubled over the past two years, with 68,000 cases closed in 2024 compared to 35,390 in 2022. Much of this increase stems from applicants challenging decisions made by the IND, especially when the agency fails to meet prescribed decision deadlines.
According to the IND's 2024 annual report, the agency paid out nearly 37 million euros in judicial penalties, known as "dwangsommen," due to delays in processing asylum and family reunification applications. "We are working hard to meet the demand, but the backlog is still growing," said Rhodia Maas, the director-general of the IND. "Our workload is not just larger; it has become more complex, especially with changing regulations, judicial rulings, and internal guidelines."
The agency's primary challenge remains a sharp increase in family reunification applications for individuals with asylum status. Currently, over 75,000 people are waiting for a decision on their family reunification cases. The average wait time for these applications in 2024 was 70 to 84 weeks, significantly longer than the IND's target.
In 2024, the Netherlands saw a decline in new asylum applications, with 32,180 first-time asylum requests filed compared to 38,380 in 2023. Despite the drop in applications, the number of pending asylum cases continued to rise as the IND struggled to keep pace. The agency issued decisions on 33,160 asylum cases but still saw a growing backlog, with nearly 51,000 asylum seekers awaiting a ruling.
The average waiting time for asylum seekers increased to 53 weeks, and the approval rate for asylum requests dropped to 58 percent in 2024, down from 61 percent the previous year. Asylum seekers have increasingly turned to the courts to challenge delays and decisions, further burdening the IND’s already overstretched resources.
Family reunification cases, especially for asylum seekers, represent a major source of the agency’s delays. These requests have surged in recent years, with the IND processing more decisions than in previous years but still unable to meet demand. More than 75,000 people are currently waiting for family reunification decisions, a backlog that continues to grow despite the agency's efforts.
Legal challenges against the IND are becoming more common, especially in cases involving missed deadlines for family reunification and asylum applications. This trend has contributed to the rise in judicial penalties. The IND also faces the challenge of managing an increasing number of objections to residence permit decisions in cases related to regular migration. In 2024, the IND handled 27,780 of these objections, up from 19,770 in 2023.
Despite the mounting pressures, the IND has maintained near 100 percent attendance at judicial hearings, with 87 percent of asylum-related decisions and 86 percent of regular migration decisions upheld by the courts. However, the penalties and delays have made the agency's work even more challenging.
Maas has emphasized that the IND is committed to improving its decision-making speed and efficiency. "We need to simplify our processes and make our work smarter. If we are to cope with these challenges and the expected reforms, we need a stable funding base and time to implement these changes," Maas stated.
