The number of asylum seekers has decreased in the first month of 2018 compared to a year ago.Pictured: Foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn is at the professional gardening training centre in Agadez, Niger, financed by a fiduciary African fund from the EU, and implemented by Lux-Development on 7 February 2018. MAEE

The number of asylum seekers has decreased in the first month of 2018 compared to a year ago.Pictured: Foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn is at the professional gardening training centre in Agadez, Niger, financed by a fiduciary African fund from the EU, and implemented by Lux-Development on 7 February 2018. MAEE

The government has released the latest statistics on asylum seekers.

In January 2018, 175 asylum seekers were registered as having arrived in Luxembourg, compared to 225 in 2017 and 265 in 2016. However, this figure does not include all those who come to Luxembourg, because not all introduce an application immediately. It does, however, include all those who came to Luxembourg as part of the relocation programme with Greece and Italy.

Table: number of applications for refugee status

Number of applications for asylum status

Origins

Most asylum seekers come from Georgia (25), followed by Syria (11) and Serbia (19) and Algeria (16).

Asylum seekers in Luxembourg by origin, January 2018

Asylum seekers in Luxembourg by origin, January 2018

Refugee status

In January 2018, 84 people were granted official refugee status, representing 30.4% of total applications. 13 applications received the status of subsidiary protection.

Of the total 276 decisions taken in January this year, 149 applications were denied because of a transfer decision/ incompetence. 12 applications were implicitly withdrawn, and 17 were rejected.