130,000 more migrants in one year, but: 'This will have an effect'

The Netherlands will gain 130,000 migrants between April 2024 and April 2025, De Telegraaf reported yesterday based on figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). What does that mean and how can such a large number be countered? Nieuws van de Dag discussed this last night.

The cabinet presented plans last year for ' the strictest asylum policy ever '. In January, Metro listed the state of affairs regarding the influx of migrants. With the figures released yesterday, it seems that not much will come of the strictest asylum policy ever of the cabinet and minister Marjolein Faber. 130,000 more migrants is about the size of an entire city like Maastricht, wrote De Telegraaf .

"If things continue like this, the Netherlands will have 22 million inhabitants in 2050, while there is already a housing shortage," said presenter Pim Sedee in Nieuws van de Dag on SBS6. He discussed the situation regarding migrants with journalist Wierd Duk, NSC MP Diederik Boomsma and migration expert Jan van de Beek. You can watch the entire conversation in the video above.

Boomsma on the policy against the mass arrival of migrants: "A number of things have already been set in motion and it often takes a while before you see that reflected in a decrease." The politician is then talking about migrants who come to work and that they need a permit: "That will have an effect, but not in three weeks."

When it comes to migrants applying for asylum, there is currently still a lot of 'follow-up travel' of family members. Boomsma points to new legislation. "But that still has to go through the House."

Migration expert Jan van de Beek has his doubts. He sees that the government has set a target of 50,000 migrants. "You can never really prove that without revising international treaties. You really have to intervene very drastically."