The Netherlands has seen a marked decline in asylum applications from several Arab countries, according to new figures released by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) in its monthly Asylum Trends report.
Most notably, applications from Syrians dropped sharply in the first quarter of 2025, with only 940 new requests filed — a stark contrast to the 2,901 applications received during the same period last year.
This decrease is linked to dramatic political developments in Syria following the ousting of long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad by Islamist forces in December 2024. With the regime change, many Syrians who previously fled violence are now either staying in the region or reconsidering their options.
A similar pattern has emerged among asylum seekers from Iraq and Yemen, whose numbers fell from 1,191 to 111 and from 471 to 83, respectively, over the same period.
