Number of applicants for international protection;
Credit: Directorate of Immigration
On Thursday 22 January 2026, the Directorate General of Immigration of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Home Affairs published its yearly overview of applications for international protection and temporary protection in the Grand Duchy for 2025.
International Protection
A total of 1,768 people applied for international protection in Luxembourg in 2025, compared to 2,020 in 2024. From January to November 2025, authorities registered 1,649 applications, with an additional 119 received in December.
Authorities took 2,016 decisions on international protection applications in 2025, granting refugee status to 625 applicants and issuing 363 refusals under the normal procedure.
Authorities also carried out 271 transfers to other Dublin III Regulation countries and received 59 transfers to Luxembourg. During the same year, authorities recorded 137 returns, of which 108 were voluntary and 29 were forced.
In December alone, applicants mainly came from Eritrea (31), Syria (21), Somalia (eight) and Sudan (seven), as well as Algeria and Nigeria (five each), while 42 applicants came from other unspecified countries.
Over the full year, Eritrea accounted for the highest number of applicants with 338 (19.1%), followed by Syria (200; 11.3%) and Algeria (91; 5.1%).
Temporary Protection
A total of 1,064 people applied for temporary protection in Luxembourg throughout 2025, including 61 in December.
Authorities took 4,527 decisions on temporary protection applications in 2025, with 966 applicants being granted this status and 3,474 having their status renewed, while 87 applications received a refusal.
Most December applicants came from Ukraine, accounting for 60 of the 61 applications. Ukrainian nationals also represented the largest group among applicants for temporary protection throughout the year, with 980 (92.1%) applications. In addition, there were applications from 25 Algerian nationals, eleven Moroccan nationals, six Armenian nationals, five Indian nationals and 37 nationals of other unspecified countries.
