Fewer asylum centre places for asylum seekers

The number of asylum centre places is gradually decreasing to the level before the asylum crisis. The federal government has approved a reduction plan that decreases the number of places from 23,815 now to 16,629 in 2019. Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken explains: “The influx of asylum seekers is stable at a low level. That gives room to downsize further and save costs.”

Balance between individual and collective

The proportion of collective and individual places for asylum seekers in centres is being corrected. It had become unbalanced due to the asylum crisis. Specifically, more individual than collective places are disappearing. “That correction is necessary, because we are from now on only providing individual places for asylum seekers with a high chance of recognition and for vulnerable profiles,” Theo Francken explains.

Years of effort

Secretary of State Theo Francken ends with a word of thanks for the staff of the OCMWs and the collective centres: “Without their years of effort taking in candidate-refugees, we would never have been able to tackle the asylum crisis successfully.”