The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted yesterday the Information on the situation in the field of migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period from January 1 to March 31, 2023, which the Ministry of Security will submit to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Joint Commission for Defense and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A total of 5,201 illegal migrants were registered in the Service for Affairs with Foreigners during the first quarter of 2023. These data include persons who were registered after illegally entering the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as persons who remained in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the expiration of their visas or residence permits.
Data for the first three months of 2023 compared to the same period last year show that twice as many illegal migrants were recorded on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who spend less time, opting for rapid transit through Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to enter the Schengen area, often bypassing temporary reception centers.
Of the total number of illegal migrants reported in the first quarter of this year, 2,050 were registered in March, or 507 more than in February of this year (1,543).
Citizens of Afghanistan make up 45.7 percent of the total number of reported illegal migrants, followed by citizens of Morocco (14 percent), Cuba (9.6 percent), DR Congo (5.6 percent) and Pakistan (3.7 percent).
An average of 873 people stayed in the four temporary reception centers (total capacity of 4,880 places) in the first quarter of 2023. In the same period in 2022, an average of 2,036 people stayed. On March 31, 2023, 1,104 people stayed in these centers.
In the first quarter of 2023, 4,663 people expressed their intention to apply for asylum, of which 42 or 0.90 percent of the total number of expressed intentions for asylum submitted an application for asylum in Bosnia and Herzegovina1.
In the period January – March, the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded 2,451 persons in illegal crossing and attempted illegal crossing, which is a double increase compared to the same period in 2022, when 1,008 persons were detected.
Adopted migration profile
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the proposal of the Ministry of Security, adopted the Migration Profile of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2022, which provides insight into key trends in the field of migration.
By updating the Migration Profile on an annual basis, Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfills one of its obligations regarding the liberalization of the visa regime.
In the Migration Profile, it is stated that BiH diplomatic and consular missions issued 22,765 visas last year, which represents an increase compared to 2021, when 18,427 visas were issued.
27 visas were issued at the BiH border last year, which is an increase compared to 2021, when seven visas were issued.
Last year, the BiH Border Police refused 2,549 entries into BiH, which is a decrease of 49.4 percent compared to 2021, when 5,038 were refused.
The number of detected illegal crossings of the state border of BiH last year was 14,309 (7,427 illegal entries and 6,882 illegal exits from BiH), and it increased by about 62 percent compared to the previous year, when 8,834 of them were recorded.
Foreigners in Bosnia and Herzegovina were granted 11,188 temporary residence permits in 2022, while in this period 390 permanent residence permits were granted for foreigners compared to 417 in 2021.
There was also an increase in the number of cancellations of visa-free or temporary stays, which amounted to 514 last year, compared to 444 in the previous year. At the same time, 50 permanent residences were canceled last year, as opposed to 62 in 2021.
Last year, compared to the previous year, the number of expulsion decisions increased by 23.16 percent and amounted to 1,638, compared to 2021, when 1,330 of these decisions were issued.
A total of 714 foreigners were placed under supervision at the Immigration Center in 2022, which is an increase of 16.6 percent compared to 2021, when the number was 612.
During the year 2022, seven conclusions were made on the permission to execute the decision on expulsion compared to one conclusion in 2021.
In accordance with readmission agreements, 628 BH were accepted. citizens in the last year. Also, according to the Readmission Agreement with the Republic of Croatia, 836 citizens of third countries were accepted in 2022, which is an increase of 46.67 percent compared to the previous year when that number was 570 foreign citizens, it was announced after the session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
