Holland: Some 800 refugee children, plus family, will benefit from new amnesty (+ brief SvJ+I Teeven over regeling)
Some 800 refugee children and their families are likely to be able to take advantage of new asylum rules for children who have developed roots in the Netherlands, justice minister Fred Teeven has confirmed. On Friday, the cabinet agreed new guidelines for dealing with the problem of children who face deportation after spending a number of years in the Netherlands. The amnesty is the wish of the Labour party, which forms part of the current coalition with the right-wing VVD. The new rules state youngsters should have lived in the Netherlands for at least five years and have not been out of contact with the Dutch authorities for more than three months. They must also be under the age of 21 and have lied about their identity to officials no more than once. Teeven will use his discretion to decide what to do about borderline cases. Mauro Child refugees with a temporary residency permit, because, for example, they are ill or studying, will also be given a one-off opportun...