Number of migrants in BiH is growing, but they are not staying and are heading towards the Schengen area

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted 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 BiH and the Joint Committee for Defense and Security of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.

A total of 5,201 illegal migrants were registered by the Service for Alien Affairs during the first quarter of 2023. These data include persons registered after illegally entering the territory of BiH, as well as persons who remained in BiH after their visa or residence permit expired.

Data for the first three months of 2023, compared to the same period last year, show that twice as many illegal migrants were registered in the territory of BiH, spending less time, opting for rapid transit through BiH 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 constitute 45.7% of the total number of reported illegal migrants, followed by citizens of Morocco (14%), Cuba (9.6%), DR Congo (5.6%), and Pakistan (3.7%).

In the four temporary reception centers (total capacity of 4,880 places), an average of 873 people stayed during the first quarter of 2023. In the same period of 2022, an average of 2,036 people stayed. On March 31, 2023, 1,104 people were staying in these centers.

The intention to apply for asylum in the first quarter of 2023 was expressed by 4,663 people, of whom 42, or 0.90% of the total number of expressed intentions for asylum, submitted an asylum application in BiH.

In the period January - March, the BiH Border Police registered 2,451 people attempting to cross or illegally crossing the border, which is a twofold increase compared to the same period in 2022, when 1,008 people were detected.