Caretaker minister in charge of asylum and migration affairs David Van Weel informed the Dutch parliament in a letter that his government intends to tighten asylum regulations for Syrian nationals, NL Times said citing a NOS report.
“Due to the fall of the Assad regime, the previously general principle of policy that Syrians run a real risk of serious harm upon return can be abandoned,” Van Weel said.
Van Weel, who has also kept his role held in the collapsed coalition government as minister of justice, shared that the decision is based on an official foreign ministry report on the situation in Syria. The report dates from a while ago, but Van Weel said now was “the moment to make the decision public.”
According to the panned changes, all Syrians who apply for asylum in the Netherlands will have to prove that they are unsafe in their country of origin, demonstrate real risks of harm and violence upon their return. Van Weel mentioned members of the the LGBT community as an example, but added that the Dutch immigration service always makes an individual assessment.
The Dutch government has also decided to temporarily freeze the already ongoing asylum procedures of approximately 17,000 Syrians. They will also fall under the new policy.
Van Weel took over responsibility for asylum and migration from Marjolein Faber (PVV) after Geert Wilders toppled the coalition government and withdrew his ministers.
