Regionale verschillen in uitvoering van asielbeleid

Samenvatting

Regional differences in carrying out asylum policy. The presupposition that underlies the discussion on the need of an even tighter asylum policy is that asylum seekers get the permit they deserve. On the basis of administrative data of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (N=77,347) this article demonstrates that this presumption is wrong. The carrying out of the asylum policy leads to inequality of rights, as could be expected on the grounds of the characteristics of this bureaucratic practice. For asylum seekers it makes a difference which region dispatches their application. Regional differences on the first decision persist when controlling for the nationality, age, and sex of the asylum seeker, and the date of application. On top of that, these differences have increased between 1998 and 2000. Finally, the stage of appeal does not make up for these differences.. The verdicts of courts of law and the organization and composition of personnel of the Immigration and Naturalization Service offer possible explanations for the regional differences in the carrying out of the asylum policy. The testing of these explanations is important, because it can offer points of contact to increase equal chances on a permit.