Credit: MAEE

The Directorate of Immigration of Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has published figures regarding applications for international protection (asylum) and temporary protection in the Grand Duchy for the month of August 2022.

International protection

A total of 205 people applied for international protection in Luxembourg in August 2022, up from 177 in July 2022 and 127 in June 2022.

172 decisions on asylum applications were taken in August 2022, up from 135 the previous month, with 101 applicants (up from 51 in July) being granted refugee status in Luxembourg.

The largest number of applicants seeking asylum in Luxembourg in August 2022 once again came from Syria (111), followed by Eritrea (37) and Afghanistan (eight).

By the end of August, Luxembourg had received a total of 1,320 applications for international protection so far in 2022 – nearly double the 717 applications received this time last year.

Temporary protection

A total of 298 people contacted the Immigration Directorate to express their interest in applying for temporary protection in Luxembourg in August 2022, whilst 184 people actually applied for the status (down from 227 requests in July).

Six people decided (for various reasons) not to apply for temporary protection in the end despite previously having indicated their interest in doing so.

With the introduction of temporary protection at the European level in March 2022 for persons fleeing the war in Ukraine, it is unsurprising that most applicants for this status in July 2022 continued to be Ukrainian nationals. Last month, a total of 155 Ukrainian nationals applied for temporary protection in Luxembourg.

However, a number of people of other nationalities also applied for this status in August 2022, including eight Indian and 21 nationals of various other countries.

Overall, in the first eight months of 2022, Ukrainian nationals represented 93.5% of applicants (4,448 people) for temporary protection in Luxembourg. Other nationalities having applied for the status so far this year include Nigerians (41 people or 0.9%), Cameroonians (30 or 0.6%), Algerians (28 or 0.6%), Moroccans (22 or 0.5%) and Russians (fifteen or 0.3%), among others.

A total of 180 decisions on temporary protection applications were taken in August 2022 (down from 252 in July), with 145 applicants being granted this status in Luxembourg (down from 198 in July).

In the first eight months of 2022, Luxembourg received a total of 4,755 requests for temporary protection.