Farmsum asylum shelter stays open until end of 2031

The municipality of Eemsdelta has decided to keep the asylum shelter in Farmsum open through the end of 2031, at the request of the COA, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers. The municipality extended the shelter for a maximum of 150 asylum seekers who have a good chance of a residence permit.

The emergency shelter opened in 2021 for a maximum of six months and was extended several times. At the end of 2023 it was extended by three years; now it has been extended by five.

Mayor Ben Visser says five years is the most the municipality can do. The shelter houses families with children who attend local schools. "The COA has no other shelter places," he said.

Deventer extends homeless shelter

In Deventer, the municipality has extended the temporary shelter for homeless people on the Hanzeweg until March 2028. It was due to stay open for two years at most. The municipality says it extended the shelter because pressure on the other shelter, on the Polstraat, is high.

New asylum applications in the Netherlands have eased over the past year, CBS figures show. There were 2,100 first applications in September 2026, against 2,700 in September 2025. The monthly total fell to 1,810 in June 2026, the lowest in the period, before rising again.

First asylum applications are lower than a year ago

People · Sep 2025–Sep 2026

First asylum applications are lower than a year ago (people). From 2,700 in Sep 2025 to 2,100 in Sep 2026; highest 2,700 in Sep 2025, lowest 1,810 in Jun 2026. Source: CBS.

View data

Data: First asylum applications are lower than a year ago

Item	People
Sep 2025	2,700
Oct 2025	2,470
Nov 2025	2,485
Dec 2025	2,570
Jan 2026	2,070
Feb 2026	1,960
Mar 2026	1,965
Apr 2026	2,105
May 2026	2,145
Jun 2026	1,810
Jul 2026	1,920
Aug 2026	1,845
Sep 2026	2,100