Will my case be prioritized?
Priority due to the applicant’s situation
Cases concerning applications for international protection may be given priority if they involve particularly vulnerable individuals, such as unaccompanied children, people with disabilities, elderly people, pregnant women, single parents with young children, victims of human trafficking, seriously ill individuals, and individuals who have suffered torture, rape, or other severe psychological, physical, or sexual violence.
The decision on prioritizing cases is made as soon as possible after an appeal has been received. Most applicants for international protection are in difficult situations. Prioritizing one case generally means that other cases are delayed. Therefore, priority is only given in exceptional circumstances for these reasons.
Clearly ill-founded applications
If the Directorate of Immigration has deemed an application for international protection to be clearly ill-founded and the applicant is a citizen of a country on the Directorate’s list of safe countries of origin, the Appeals Committee will generally prioritize that case. However, the applicant’s circumstances are always considered on an individual basis to assess if they qualify for international protection or a residence permit.
Cases processed together for efficiency reasons
Occasionally, the committee receives cases with many similarities, such as applicants for international protection coming from the same country or where the same legal considerations apply to the resolution of multiple cases. These cases are processed together for efficiency when possible. This can mean that some of these cases are processed in a shorter time than otherwise would be the case.
Although cases might share common characteristics, each case is always examined individually, and the personal circumstances of each applicant are thoroughly reviewed.