National Asylum Developments Database

 

The National Asylum Developments Database presents legislative, institutional and policy developments related to asylum since 2018.

Searches can be narrowed down by:

  • Country
  • Year
  • Type of development: legislative, institutional or policy 
  • Thematic area: access to procedure, access to information, legal assistance and representation, interpretation services, special procedures, procedures at first instance, reception of applicants for international protection, detention, procedures at second instance, country of origin information, statelessness in the asylum context, content of protection, return of former applicants, resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes.

Details on each development and further analysis can be consulted in the Asylum Report series.
 

Types of policies and practices reported in the National Asylum Developments Database

The National Asylum Developments Database can be searched by institutional, legislative and policy changes. There are three types of policy developments:

Policies and practices related to the integrity of national asylum systems aim to swiftly identify unfounded asylum applications and ensure that financial, human and administrative resources are not dissipated on such claims. These measures involve efforts to rapidly establish an applicant’s identity, including age, country of origin, travel route and security concerns if any. These facts help to better assess the credibility of the applicant’s statements and determine whether beneficiaries of international protection are still in need of protection. The prevention of unintentional misuse of the asylum procedure and its integrity are also supported by the provision of information to asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection on their respective rights and obligations and related procedural arrangements.

Policies and practices that improve the efficiency of national asylum systems include digitalisation and the use of new technologies in the framework of asylum, prioritising or fast-tracking applications, the re-organisation of the procedure itself or implementing changes in the number of staff employed.

Policy and practice aiming to enhance the quality of national asylum systems contribute to increasing fairness, integrity and efficiency. Quality assurance systems, guidance materials and capacity-building measures typically pay off on the initial investment and efforts. The initiatives include staff training, revising existing guidance materials and monitoring the quality of the decisions delivered.

The database presents validated factual information and does not imply any endorsement from the European Commission or EUAA.

Flag Country Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Office for Foreigners updated the existing “Policy for the protection of children against abuse in centres for foreigners run by the Office for Foreigners”. It includes protection standards and guidelines for officers in reception centres. An e-learning platform intended for all employees was developed, which includes the course on the policy. All newly employed and permanent employees of the office are obliged to undergo training, which ends with a final test and the issuance of a certificate. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure In March, the Border Guard established intervention teams in the border with Belarus to conduct migrant search and rescue operations. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Ministry of the Interior passed a decree to create a buffer zone at the border with Belarus, aiming to prevent illegal entries. It included a temporary ban on staying in a specific area adjacent to the border zone. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Content of protection Content of protection At the request of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and considering the success of a pilot project from 2021 to 2023, new Foreigners’ Integration Centres (CIC) were opened with AMIF funding and will continue to multiply with the same model of one-stop-shop. They provide standardised services to newly arrived migrants, promote active participation and involvement of foreigners in the social and cultural life of Poland and serve as cooperation platforms between local authorities, the government, and NGOs. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Office for Foreigners implemented a new questionnaire to obtain children’s opinion on the quality of their current care and educational situation. The aim is to assess the child’s best interests. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Access to information Access to information The Office for Foreigners opened a hotline to provide information on the international protection procedure. It also launched a mobile application in 5 languages for the same purpose. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Council of Ministers adopted a package of 4 draft laws amending the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners. They introduced the possibility of temporarily limiting the right to lodge an asylum application except for vulnerable applicants (i.e. pregnant women, unaccompanied minors and people who require special treatment) and included additional grounds to withdraw refugee status. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Poland Flag Poland 2024 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Prime Minister announced a government strategy to regain control over migration and limit the illegal crossing of Polish borders. It includes a proposal to allow for a temporary and territorial suspension of the right to request asylum in the event of a high influx of persons. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants From June 2024, the Federal Council is able to contribute to the operating costs of cantonal departure centres when there is a high volume of illegal entries. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council launched the process to reduce the waiting period for family reunification for people with temporary admission, following a judgment from the ECtHR in 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services Interpretation services were expanded to include rare languages. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The national programme was approved to receive 1,600 refugees during 2024-2025, although all operations have been suspended since April 2023 due to the pressure on the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The State Secretariat for Migration awarded contracts for legal advice and representation services for asylum seekers in federal asylum centres. Various organisations, including Caritas Switzerland, the Bern Legal Advice Centre and OSEO, will provide these services. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A collaborative process among the confederation, cantons and municipalities was launched to develop a new comprehensive asylum strategy. Key objectives are the continuous improvement of fast and fair asylum procedures, the dignified accommodation of people seeking protection, and the quick and systematic return of people not entitled to protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Secretariat for Migration closed nine temporary federal asylum centres, reducing accommodation capacity by about 1,735 places due to a lower-than-expected number of asylum applications in autumn 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection New measures were announced to improve security and support services in asylum centres. They included clarifying the legal framework for the operation of asylum centres, explicitly defining when force or police measures can be used and establishing rules for temporary detention to prevent imminent danger. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council approved amendments to facilitate the integration of refugees and beneficiaries of temporary protection into the labour market. Measures included an increased awareness among employers and jobseekers, the recognition of diplomas and the assessment of skills, and simplifying the process for temporary residence permit holders to change cantons for work-related purposes. It also lifted certain work permit requirements for individuals in hardship cases and those in preparatory vocational training. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Federal Council took note of a package of measures to reduce costs in asylum and optimise available resources. The aim is to save around CHF 700 million by 2028 by reducing the number of pending cases, speeding up procedures and increasing the employment rate among beneficiaries of temporary protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The 24-hour fast procedure, which had been tested on a small scale, was extended to all federal states. The aim of the procedure is to quickly process asylum applications that have low chances of success and to relieve the workload for case officers and pressure on the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The federal and cantonal authorities made efforts to improve security in reception facilities and address recidivism of repeat offenders among asylum applicants and beneficiaries. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Federal Council approved legal amendments to allow the State Secretariat for Migration to analyse data from devices (e.g. phones and computers) to verify the identity, nationality or travel route of applicants when other methods are insufficient. The changes entered into effect in April 2025. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Federal Council is proposing changes to the Asylum Ordinance 2, including the duty to consider the length of time people received social assistance subsidies during their provisional admission before obtaining refugee status. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation To improve data protection and facilitate the implementation of return processes, providers of legal advice are now given limited access to MIDES, an information system on accommodation at airports. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2024 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Benin was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Sweden Flag Sweden 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Migration Agency introduced a simplified procedure for notifying asylum decisions, aiming to increase the number of decisions that gain legal force. The applicant is considered to be notified 2 weeks after the decision is mailed and can then appeal the decision within the following 3 weeks. If they do not appeal in that time, the decision becomes legally enforceable. EUAA Asylum Report 2025