Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
3.2. Classification system
Similar as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Asylum statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Similar definition as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons.
3.6. Statistical population
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.7. Reference area
Luxembourg
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time coverage according to Regulation (EC) No 862/2007, from January 2008, eventually January 2021.
Data on first-time asylum applicants are not available from January 2008 to February 2010.
Data on pending asylum applications are not available from January 2008 to November 2009.
Data on withdrawn final decisions are not available for 2008.
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The Committee for official statistics of STATEC coordinates the statistical programs of the different national authorities, Ministries, public institutions and observatories. (STATEC is the national statistical authority that coordinates the national statistical system, and represents it on the international level.)
The General Department of immigration, being in possession of the data, is directly providing the data.
Directive 2013/32/EU was transposed at national level on 18 December 2015.
Legal reference: Loi du 18 décembre 2015 relative à la protection internationale et à la protection temporaire (asile-loi-vc-juillet-2021.pdf).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
On national level, data concerning international protection is shared with STATEC, the national statistical authority that coordinates the national statistical system, and represents it on the international level.
On European level, data concerning international protection is shared with EUAA and UNHCR.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The legal framework and the conceptual framework for confidentiality is the Regulation 223/2009 on European statistics is applied.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
In order to guarantee confidentiality and to protect asylum seekers, when publishing press releases on national level, the General department of immigration applies the rule to not share details when the number of persons of a specific nationality is below 5.
8.1. Release calendar
No specific release calendar. Statistics are published during the month following the reference time.
For ESTAT, statistics are released 2 to 3 months after the reference period.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
As long as data is not released officially, it should not be publicly shared.
Data is compiled using Eurostat TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR THE DATA COLLECTION UNDER ART. 4.1-4.3 OF AMENDED REGULATION 862/2007 – STATISTICS ON ASYLUM. See Annexes.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not applicable.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality is assured by manual ad-hoc controls. Data in the Eurostat tables is cross-checked with the data in the national database.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not applicable.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The statistics collected under Regulation 862/2007 are used by a wide range of users at national, European and International level to cover various users' needs.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
The required disaggregation for all datasets is complete.
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The overall accuracy of Asylum statistics is good as they are directly generated from the database of the Directorate of immigration. The only reason for incompleteness may be due to human error in handling the data.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
No divergence.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
The only errors can come from recording errors (erroneous variable or missing data).
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
In general, data is available in real time, but it can sometimes happen that we get the information with some delay. However, data may be processed with a certain delay due to updates of the data collection tools (tables, specifications) by Eurostat and technical adjustments to be carried out.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
Data are delivered on time.
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data is coherent across the territory. Luxembourg has only one place to lodge and register an asylum application.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data is coherent across the domain.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
No internal incoherence noticed.
Not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revisions are done regularly (no planned revisions) in the database for quality reasons. Few ad-hoc verifications are done during the year if table is still valid and updated if needed.
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Database of General Department of immigration.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Database is updated on daily basis.
18.3. Data collection
Most of the data is extracted from the national database, no collection needed.
Exception: Table A21 is collected once a year from the National Reception Office.
18.4. Data validation
Data is controlled and validated monthly when data is extracted.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
15 September 2025
Similar definition as Eurostat.
Authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons is not applicable as a decision on asylum protection.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Persons.
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Luxembourg
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
The overall accuracy of Asylum statistics is good as they are directly generated from the database of the Directorate of immigration. The only reason for incompleteness may be due to human error in handling the data.
Number of persons.
Not applicable.
Database of General Department of immigration.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Monthly
In general, data is available in real time, but it can sometimes happen that we get the information with some delay. However, data may be processed with a certain delay due to updates of the data collection tools (tables, specifications) by Eurostat and technical adjustments to be carried out.
Data is coherent across the territory. Luxembourg has only one place to lodge and register an asylum application.
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
