Refugees cost the Netherlands €860m last year
The total bill to the Dutch government for looking after asylum seekers reached €860m last year, according to cabinet figures.
Half of that money went to the refugee settlement agency COA which provides temporary accommodation for asylum seekers and supports them in getting settled if they are granted a permit.
In addition, assessing asylum claims cost the immigration service €197m while the deportation service budget was €72m.
Non-profit organisations which support refugees had just over €30m in subsidies, education for refugee children cost over €56m and spending on free legal advice for asylum seekers totalled €26m.
The figures were published following requests from the anti-immigration PVV. Some 24,000 refugees came to the Netherlands last year.
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