By the end of September 2023, 3,577 individuals were registered by the RIS in Evros, out of which 2,722 were men and 855 were women.254 Information on capacity of the RIC and the number of individuals residing in the RIC during the reporting period were not made available. Since 2022, the lodging of asylum applications was no longer conducted by GAS. In the scope of Reception and Identification procedures, RIS conducted the registration of the asylum applications, during which all personal details of the applicants and the reasons for seeking international protection are recorded. According to GCR observation, registration took place immediately upon arrival for all newcomers (single adults, families and UAMs). In a considerable number of cases concerning UAMs, the registration of the asylum application took place before they were referred/ appointed to a child protection actor. Following the conclusion of the Reception and Identification Procedures, newly arrived persons were released and the vast majority were referred by the RIS to open reception facilities in the mainland, with the exception of UAMs who remained in the RIC, pending their placement and transfer to a shelter for minors. It should be noted that since the end of October 2023, given the lack of capacity of the second line reception facilities255 and ensuing delays in official transfers of applicants from the Fylakio RIC to other facilities in the mainland, according to GCR observation, registered applicants who had initially expressed their wish to be referred to such facilities as part of their right to reception conditions, have been given the option to be released and leave the RIC on their own. However, in order to do so, applicants are first required to sign a solemn declaration, stating an address, as well as their willingness to no longer be included in official transfers to other facilities on the mainland, and for their right to reception conditions to be waived. Accordingly, this practice, aimed at decongesting the Fylakio RIC, needs to be checked, at least, with respect to the extent to which applicants are effectively informed of the consequences of singing this form, particularly given the link between residence in the Greek reception system and access to a set of provisions, both under material reception conditions (receipt of financial aid), and in the context of limited support to integration (enrolment to Helios) for those that may end up being granted international protection in Greece. By the end of September 2023, 345 UAMs (274 boys and 71 girls) were registered by the RIS in Evros. This number corresponds to the 24.42% of the total number of UAMs registered during this period in CCACs and RICs in Greece.256 During 2023, the waiting period for the placement of UAMs in a ‘restriction of liberty status’ (namely in protective custody or in the RIC) to shelters for minors remained short. According to official data available, the average waiting time for the placement was 4.5 days. The average waiting time for the placement of UAMs in protective custody was 0.4 days, while the average waiting time for the placement of UAMs in ‘restriction of liberty’ in the RIC/CCACs was 7.7 days.257 Transfers from the RIC in Fylakio to shelters for minors may be conducted with delays of up to 2-3 weeks. 254 255 256 257 As per the latest available data (time of writing) published at the MoMA’s website, under Statistics, Reception and Identification Service, 2023, nine months of 2023, registrations of TCNs/stateless persons per location of registration, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/2p8dv6su. GCR, Reception of asylum seekers in Greece: the demand for humane conditions remains, 9 November 2023, https://tinyurl.com/5d789w58. As per the latest available data (time of writing) published at the MoMA’s website, under Statistics, Reception and Identification Service, 2023, nine months of 2023, registrations of UAM per location of registration, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/yc4rcr2e. Data received from the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons & Institutional Protection of the MoMA, on 4 March 2024. 64