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For the last three years, IGC Participating States have sought to adapt and improve their legal and procedural frameworks for asylum determination, while enhancing the quality, efficiency and integrity of asylum procedures. IGC States have also developed innovative approaches to managing increasing pressures on their status determination and reception systems, and renewed efforts to address abuses of the asylum system.

With information sourced directly from governments, the report provides an authoritative description of the procedure for receiving and processing asylum applications in the 16 States which take part in the IGC process, and contributes uniquely to the existing literature on these topics.

The Report includes:

• An Introduction summarising the main developments in refugee protection and asylum systems at the national, regional and global level since 2012, with a focus on Syria and Eritrea, vulnerable caseloads and resettlement;
• 16 standardised Country Chapters on asylum policy and asylum determination practices as well as information on pre-entry measures, decision-making, reception, return and integration;
• Statistical data on applications and decisions in each country report;
• Annexes on comparative statistical data, and relevant extracts of international law instruments and UNHCR ExCom conclusions.

The 2012 Report on Asylum Procedures in IGC Participating States comes at a time when asylum flows into states have shifted and the process of harmonization at the European level is continuing apace against the backdrop of the economic crisis. Since the last report in 2009, some states have undergone a complete overhaul of their asylum procedures, and many have introduced changes to improve quality, integrity and efficiency of procedures and practices, and to tackle abuses.

With information sourced directly from governments, the report provides an authoritative account of asylum procedures as they are practiced in IGC States today.

The Report includes:

• 17 standardized country (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America) reports on asylum policy and asylum determination practices as well as information on pre-entry measures, decision-making, reception, return and integration;
• Statistical data on applications and decisions in each country report;
• Annexes on comparative statistical data and extracts of regional and international law and EXCOM conclusions relevant to asylum procedures.

As questions of achieving more efficient and fair asylum procedures continue to preoccupy experts both inside and outside governments, the 2012 Asylum Procedures report serves as a useful resource for better understanding current State policy and practice.

In the last decade, the legal and procedural framework for asylum determination has been the subject of important reform and development in IGC States. While the number of asylum claims has fluctuated, Participating States have continued to pursue a common goal of enhancing the efficiency and integrity of asylum procedures. Against the backdrop of the establishment of a common asylum system in the European Union and greater efforts at practical cooperation and information exchange across the continents, IGC States have taken similar approaches to attaining their goal.

The 2009 Asylum Procedures report contains 17 standardised country reports (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America) that aim to facilitate a quick comparison of policies and practices while also providing a comprehensive picture of asylum determination, from entry to appeal. Complementary information on pre-entry measures, decision-making, reception, return and integration is also presented. The report is supplemented by statistical data on applications, top countries of origin and decisions, and by extracts of national, regional and international laws relevant to asylum procedures.

With information sourced directly from governments, the report provides an authoritative account of asylum procedures as they are practised in IGC States today.