According to the Annual Figures for 2025 published by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), fewer asylum and family reunification applications were received in 2025 than in previous years, however, waiting times to receive a decision remained long. This resulted in the IND having to pay more than double the penalties than it did in 2024. Challenges were reported due to persistent pressure, complex processes and capacity limitations.
Key figures related to asylum:
- The number of first asylum applications fell from 32,180 in 2024 to 24,070 in 2025.
- The number of people waiting for a decision rose to more than 51,000 (as of 1 January 2026).
- The average waiting time in the general asylum procedure rose to 67 weeks.
- The acceptance rate fell from 58% in 2024 to 36% in 2025, partly due to changes in country policy for Syria, Yemen and Türkiye.
Key figures related to family reunification:
- The number of open family reunification applications decreased, from more than 66,000 to more than 52,000.
- The number of applications fell from almost 47,000 in 2024 to 15,000 in 2025.
- The IND made more decisions on family reunification than in previous years.
- The waiting time increased to 22 months.
- In 2025, the number of family members of status holders who have travelled to the Netherlands was approximately 16,500.