The Senate will debate and vote on the national asylum laws: what can you expect?

On Monday 13 April and Tuesday 14 April 2026, the members of the

'Aanpassing strafbaarheidstelling illegaal verblijf' (amendment to the criminalisation of illegal residence)

The 'Aanpassing strafbaarheidstelling illegaal verblijf' (amendment to the criminalisation of illegal residence) supplements the Emergency Asylum Measures Act. On 3 July 2025, the House of Representatives approved the new asylum laws. Initially, providing assistance to undocumented migrants (‘illegals’) was also made a criminal offence, but this drew considerable criticism. Following an amendment to the law, providing assistance is now no longer a criminal offence. The aim of this amendment is to prevent aid workers (such as social workers) from being prosecuted for providing basic assistance to people without a residence permit.

The 'Wet invoering tweestatusstelsel' (act introducing the dual-status system)

The 'Wet invoering tweestatusstelsel' (act introducing the dual-status system) distinguishes between two groups of asylum seekers. One group is granted refugee status (

The debate will begin on Monday 13 April at 15:45 and on Tuesday 14 April at 10:00. The Minister for Asylum and Migration will be present during the debate. Members of the Senate may table

The vote on the laws in the Senate is scheduled for 21 April 2026. On that day, the senators will vote on the laws.

The national asylum laws will be adopted if the Senate votes 'in favour', but it is unclear when they will come into effect. This is due to the

If the members of the Senate vote 'against' the national asylum laws, a large proportion of the national asylum measures will still be introduced at a later date under the EU Migration Pact.

Would you like to know more about the Asylum Emergency Measures Act? Then read this article on RefugeeHelp, which answers frequently asked questions.