During August and September an unforeseen and unprecedented number of people applied for asylum in Iceland. A total of 110 people applied for asylum during these two months. So far during 2015 a total of 218 people have applied for asylum, the greatest number ever to apply in a single year.
The Directorate’s reception team has, in cooperation with Reykjanesbær and Reykjavík, managed to get all these people a place to stay and provided for their basic needs.
Considering the sharp increase in asylum applications, the year 2015 will likely see a total of 290 to 350 asylum seekers.
A total of 95 applicants, around 44%, are from the Balkan states. Albanians constitute a third of all applications.
The number of applications from Syrian citizens so far this year is 25, just over four times as many as during all of 2014. No Syrians are sent to Syria due to the civil war that is ongoing.
So far this year the Directorate has closed 211 asylum cases – including cases from previous years and re-opened cases from the Ministry of Interior, the Immigration Appeals Board and the courts.