The number of family reunification requests, where relatives of asylum seekers abroad wait for permission to join their family members in the Netherlands, has significantly increased over the past year. Currently, nearly 40,000 people are awaiting approval for their family reunification requests, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). This marks a sharp rise compared to a year ago when there were 22,220 pending applications.

The largest group of those awaiting reunification comes from Syria, with Syrians accounting for 71% of the applications in 2024. Additionally, there are a substantial number of requests from individuals with Yemeni, Turkish, and Iraqi nationalities. The chances of approval are high: in 2023, 89% of all family reunification requests were granted. Those seeking reunification are typically immediate family members of an asylum seeker who has already been granted residency in the Netherlands.

Since July, the IND has expanded its capacity and can now process around 2,000 family reunification applications per month, doubling its previous capacity. Despite this increase, the number of new applications continues to exceed the IND’s processing capacity. In July alone, 2,910 new requests were submitted. The surge in family reunification applications is linked to the expedited processing of ‘promising asylum requests,’ of which 18,000 have been handled in the past year.

However, waiting times for both asylum seekers and those seeking family reunification remain long. Applicants must wait abroad during the process, and once approved, they receive a temporary visa to enter the Netherlands. Due to a housing shortage, family members are increasingly being temporarily housed in asylum centers or rented locations like campsites and hotels.

Despite the new Schoof government’s promise to establish the strictest asylum admission regime, family reunification remains a right partly enshrined in EU treaties, making it difficult to restrict.