Our country takes in refugees because we help our fellow human beings in the same way that we would want to be helped ourselves if we were in need. The Netherlands has therefore signed international treaties, such as the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. This states that anyone who is not safe in their own country is entitled to seek asylum in other countries.
An asylum seeker is someone who has fled to another country to seek protection there. In our country, the asylum procedure begins in Ter Apel. That is where the registration centre of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) is located.
After registering, asylum seekers are sent to an asylum seekers’ centre (AZC). There, they wait to find out whether they are allowed to stay in the Netherlands. Asylum seekers are not entitled to integration support and are permitted to work for 26 weeks a year. Children receive their education in the first year at schools for newcomers and in International Transition Classes. After that, they move on to mainstream education.
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) assesses whether a refugee is indeed at risk in their home country. If this is the case, the asylum seeker is granted a temporary residence permit for five years. Usually, this permit is converted into a permanent residence permit after five years.
The COA is responsible for an asylum seekers’ centre and the people living there. The local authority is only responsible for the local development plan and the planning permission to build or renovate an asylum seekers’ centre. Many local authorities in the Netherlands have had an asylum seekers’ centre for years.
In Apeldoorn, the COA opened a Asylum Seekers' Centre has opened on Deventerstraat. The operation of this reception centre and its impact on the local area are being monitored in consultation with the COA, local residents, emergency services and other relevant authorities. There is a maximum capacity of 600 places at the Deventerstraat site.
We also sometimes take in unaccompanied minors in Apeldoorn. These are children and young people who have fled to the Netherlands without their parents. They have a guardian from the guardianship agency Nidos and a daily support worker from the care organisation Yoin. Young people aged 16–18 usually live in a supervised house. Younger children sometimes live with families in Apeldoorn.
We are sometimes asked by the COA to provide emergency accommodation for asylum seekers. We then try to find a suitable location. The COA currently provides emergency accommodation at the following locations:
A status holder is an asylum seeker who has been granted a residence permit by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).
Refugees with recognised status are entitled to housing. The COA assigns them to a local authority. That local authority must offer them a home within three months (14 weeks). This is often a problem. Many local authorities are unable to provide all status holders with a home within that timeframe. Until a home is found, status holders continue to live in the asylum seekers’ centre.
A refugee with recognised status is required to integrate. This means that they must learn the language within three years. They must also understand Dutch customs and rules, so that it becomes easier for them to participate in Dutch society. After five years, a refugee with recognised status can apply for Dutch citizenship.
Together with the housing associations, we are doing our best to find accommodation for the status holders assigned to us. This is important, as otherwise the asylum seeker centres and Ter Apel will become overcrowded. There are also other residents of Apeldoorn who urgently need a rental property. We are doing our best for them too.
There are not enough homes to provide everyone with their own home straight away. There are also not enough asylum seeker centres in the Netherlands, which means they are full. That is why, at the municipality’s request, the housing association is converting a number of homes to make them suitable for temporary occupation. This interim solution is known as a ‘transitional home’.
Transitional housing consists of family homes that are temporarily allocated to three or four status holders. Each resident has their own room and shares a kitchen, living room and bathroom. Status holders awaiting the arrival of their families can live here temporarily. From the moment they move in, they begin the integration process in Apeldoorn. A social caretaker provides assistance with practical and social matters. He supports the residents and acts as the point of contact for the neighbours.
The Dutch government often uses the term ‘displaced persons’ to refer to refugees from Ukraine. This is because different rules apply to them than to other refugees. This is because Ukraine is located in Europe. Ukrainians have therefore been granted temporary protective status by the EU.
They do not need to report to Ter Apel or apply for asylum there. They can register directly with the local authority where they are staying. The IND will verify this registration. They are also allowed to start work immediately.
Refugees (displaced persons) from Ukraine are therefore not asylum seekers. It is not the COA, but the local authorities that are responsible for accommodating refugees from Ukraine. The 25 Safety Regions in the Netherlands coordinate this with the local authorities in their own region.
Read more about the reception of Ukrainian refugees in Apeldoorn
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