Processing time

The Board emphasises the importance of quality in decision making and that cases are adequately researched prior to decision. The Board is also aware of the difficulties caused by a long waiting period and uncertainty.

When an appeal has been submitted the Board requests the relevant files from the Directorate of Immigration as well as appellant. The Directorate’s decision, the appellant’s written submissions, the transcript of the appellant’s interview at the Directorate and other documents upon which the Directorate based its decision are among the initial sources reviewed by the Board. Applicants for international protection may be invited to appear before the board and explain his or her case. Furthermore, the Board reviews reports from international organisations and NGOs, and relies on research conducted by other states and organisations into the situation in the appellant’s country of origin. The appellant may submit additional documents while the case is being processed by the Board. This preparation of the case can be time consuming and cause delays in the conclusion of the case. A unexpected increase in caseload can also cause further delays to the case.

Please be advised that the average processing time for cases has increased significantly due to a higher volume of cases in recent months.

The Board estimates that the average processing times of new cases submitted are as follows:

According to this table, a decision on an appeal received in May 2018 (application for international protection) can be expected in August 2018. These processing times are calculated from the time the Board receives the appeal. In case of a foreseeable delay beyond the processing time estimated above, the Board will notify the appellant, explain the reason and provide information as to the expected time of decision. This table does not apply to prioritised cases. Further information about the prioritisation of cases can be found here.