# Netherlands is studying return hubs for rejected asylum seekers

> The Netherlands is one of five European countries that have studied return hubs. The coalition agreement says the cabinet wants to receive rejected asylum seekers outside the European Union.

Migration · published 2026-10-28 11:56 · https://nlnow.nl/a/first-european-return-hub-for-rejected-asylum-seekers-in-rwanda/

The Netherlands is one of five leading countries, with Germany, Austria, Denmark and Greece, that have studied return hubs in recent months.

Since June, the law in Europe has allowed wider scope to send people to a third country with which they have no connection. The courts still have to test this in practice.

The coalition agreement of the three governing parties says the cabinet wants to work towards receiving rejected asylum seekers outside the European Union. In February the Tweede Kamer adopted a motion from JA21 calling on the cabinet to present a concrete return hub plan within six months.

Asylum minister Bart van den Brink is in favour of a return centre in a third country. He has been more cautious than Denmark about giving a date and numbers.

At a meeting in Copenhagen this year, Danish asylum minister Morten Bødskov said Denmark wants to put about 100 rejected asylum seekers on a plane by the end of next year. "We see a 'return hub' as an opportunity for rejected asylum seekers to have a life in a new country," he said.

## Background

- **Tweede Kamer**: The House of Representatives, the lower and more powerful house of the Dutch parliament. Its 150 members are elected directly; it can amend bills and holds the cabinet to account.
- **JA21 (Juiste Antwoord 2021)**: A Dutch right-wing party, founded in December 2020 after a split in Forum voor Democratie (FvD), by Joost Eerdmans and Annabel Nanninga. It is critical of the European Union and of immigration, and favours lower taxes.

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