site.btaForeign Protection-Seekers Decline Five-Fold in Bulgaria from Last Year

Sofia, November 20 (BTA) - Persons from third countries which seek protection in Bulgaria have declined five-fold compared to last year. This transpired from statistics about the applications for protection submitted between January and the end of October 2017, Petia Purvanova, the head of the State Agency for Refugees, told the Bulgarian National Television Monday morning.

She said that the number of rejected applications have increased twice during the same period.

The occupancy rate in the refugee facilities in Bulgaria is less than 20 per cent.

In previous years, the protection application handling was slow due to the large number of applicants but now the process goes smoothly and on time.

Some 3,400 people are registered as protection seekers and over 12,000 decisions have been issued.

When a migrant is granted refugee status, he or she has 14 days to leave the reception centre. They are then expected to find a job and start earn a living, enjoying the rights and obligations of Bulgarian citizens.

A government ordinance of last July requires of municipal authorities to declare how many refugees they want to have in their territory. It has turned out, however, that most town halls are unaware of their new responsibilities, said Purvanova.

Neither is the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria aware of this requirement: they believe that the Refugee Agency should approach town halls and not vice versa.