Young asylum seekers should go by 18th birthday

Young unaccompanied asylum seekers who do not receive a residence permit in the Netherlands have to leave the country by their eighteenth birthday, says Justice Minister Nebahat Albayak. If necessary, she says force should be used. This way the minister wants to prevent young unaccompanied asylum seekers from disappearing into the illegal circuit.

The previous government stopped benefits for young people whose asylum request had been rejected. Former integration Minister Rita Verdonk hoped this would make them leave. However, in practice many young asylum seeks did not leave if they were not entitled to a residence permit, instead they entered the illegal circuit. Ms Albayak finds this undesirable and wants to intervene promptly.

Source: Radio Netherlands, 28 May 2008