After the takeover by the Taliban a year ago, almost every asylum application was approved, but in March the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) amended its recommendation, because it has become somewhat safer in many places since then.
The average recognition rate since the fall of Kabul in August 2021 has been 53 percent, which is almost the same as in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, only a third of Afghans received protection. The CGRS underlines that it is “very broad” with the granting of refugee status.
Forced return seems impossible since the Taliban took power, creating a growing group of sans-papiers. State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) therefore wants to focus more on the local reception of refugees outside the EU, but that takes a lot of effort. “We must provide decent shelter in the region and avoid dangerous journeys,” said a spokesman.