The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) paid a staggering €36.8 million in penalties to migrants last year due to delays in processing asylum applications. This figure is over three times the €11 million paid out in 2023, highlighting the worsening crisis in the nation’s asylum system.
According to figures reported by De Telegraaf, the IND’s inability to meet deadlines has led to nearly 30,000 migrants successfully claiming penalty payments, usually capped at €7,500 per person. Critics, including the IND itself, argue that these penalties do not speed up processing times and only worsen the backlog, which now exceeds 51,000 cases. The IND stated
We have been advocating for some time to abolish judicial penalties, so we can focus entirely on processing new applications.
Adding to the strain is a surge in family reunification requests, with over 75,000 individuals waiting for decisions and average processing times stretching from 70 to 84 weeks. Despite these delays, 86% of family reunification requests were approved in 2024, raising concerns about whether the system is encouraging dependency rather than integration.
Meanwhile, the Dutch population reached a record 18 million last year, with immigration driving the increase. Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) which heads a right-wing coalition government, criticised the rapid population growth, stating
18 million people on a small piece of land… While there is a huge shortage of housing, healthcare, police. Crazy.
The government has introduced measures to address these challenges, including plans for stricter border controls under Schengen rules. Set to last six months, these controls aim to combat so-called irregular migration and smuggling without disrupting commuter traffic.
Despite these measures, the Dutch immigration system appears to be at a breaking point. Without substantive reforms, the financial and societal costs are likely to grow, deepening public discontent and straining resources in an already densely populated nation.
