Spain Receives Record High Number Of Applications For Int'l Protection In 2022 - Ministry

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 12, 2023 | 11:03 PM

The Spanish Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it had registered some 120,000 applications for international protection in 2022, which is a record high since the establishment of the country's asylum and refugee office

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2023) The Spanish Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it had registered some 120,000 applications for international protection in 2022, which is a record high since the establishment of the country's asylum and refugee office.

"According to preliminary data on December 31, the Office of Asylum and Refugee (OAR) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs received 118,842 applications for international protection in 2022, which is 81.5% more than last year (65,482), reaching the highest level since the establishment of the office in 1992," the statement read.

Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Morocco were among the top countries of origin of applicants for international protection, with Madrid receiving the most applications among Spain's 17 autonomous communities.

The OAR had also approved around 161,000 applications for temporary protection of Ukrainian citizens in 2022, the interior ministry noted, adding that Spain ranked fifth in this category among EU states.