Senate votes on abolishing asylum penalty payments
The Senate votes on Tuesday evening on a bill that abolishes asylum penalty payments, part of stricter asylum policy from minister Bart van den Brink.
The Eerste Kamer, the Senate, votes on Tuesday evening on a bill that, among other things, abolishes the asylum penalty payments (asieldwangsommen). The Senate is dealing with two stricter asylum laws from minister Bart van den Brink.
The ChristenUnie (Christian Union) senate group previously voted against abolishing penalty payments. It now sees "an opening" on Tuesday, following the party's group in the Tweede Kamer in moving towards a stricter asylum policy.
Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show 1,965 asylum applications in August 2026, against 3,085 in September 2024. The monthly total was lowest in March 2025, at 1,445, and rose to 2,865 in September 2025.
Monthly asylum applications are lower than two years ago, after a dip in early 2025
Asylum applications per month · Sep 2024–Aug 2026
Monthly asylum applications are lower than two years ago, after a dip in early 2025 (asylum applications per month). From 3,085 in Sep 2024 to 1,965 in Aug 2026; highest 3,085 in Sep 2024, lowest 1,445 in Mar 2025. Source: CBS.
| Item | asylum applications per month |
|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | 3085.0 |
| Oct 2024 | 2890.0 |
| Nov 2024 | 2460.0 |
| Dec 2024 | 2255.0 |
| Jan 2025 | 1785.0 |
| Feb 2025 | 1670.0 |
| Mar 2025 | 1445.0 |
| Apr 2025 | 1670.0 |
| May 2025 | 1925.0 |
| Jun 2025 | 2115.0 |
| Jul 2025 | 2235.0 |
| Aug 2025 | 2120.0 |
| Sep 2025 | 2865.0 |
| Oct 2025 | 2615.0 |
| Nov 2025 | 2650.0 |
| Dec 2025 | 2745.0 |
| Jan 2026 | 2230.0 |
| Feb 2026 | 2125.0 |
| Mar 2026 | 2115.0 |
| Apr 2026 | 2275.0 |
| May 2026 | 2305.0 |
| Jun 2026 | 2005.0 |
| Jul 2026 | 2025.0 |
| Aug 2026 | 1965.0 |
Special: Migration in numbers
Eerste Kamer
The Senate, the upper house of the Dutch parliament. It cannot amend bills but can approve or reject them after the Tweede Kamer has passed them. Its 75 members are elected by the members of the provincial councils.
asieldwangsommen
Asylum penalty payments are fines that the Dutch government must pay to an asylum seeker when an authority misses a legal deadline, for example by not deciding an application in time or not providing the reception the law requires. They are meant to push the authorities to act faster. The article refers to a bill in the Eerste Kamer that would abolish them.
ChristenUnie
The Christian Union (ChristenUnie) is a Dutch political party with a Christian basis, represented in both the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) and the Eerste Kamer (Senate). Its Senate group is the one whose vote on the asylum bill is discussed here. In the article, the group is described as having previously opposed scrapping the penalty payments.