Publication date:
Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor has decided to temporarily stop receiving single males in the national network for the reception of asylum seekers. Through this decision, the Secretary of State intends to anticipate “the growing influx of families and children to absolutely avoid children ending up on the streets in winter.”
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: reception crisis, reception centre, single male asylum seeker
Publication date:
The Federal Institute is tasked with regularly examining the situation of persons deprived of their liberty through preventive visits, making recommendations to the competent authorities and proposing legislation and verifying its compatibility with international standards.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: detention, human rights, closed centre
Publication date:
Fedasil has a budget for financing specific projects relating to the reception of asylum seekers (and other reception beneficiaries). The Agency has launched its call for projects for the year 2024. In 2024, the focus will be on projects that focus on the activation and participation in society of asylum seekers staying in the reception network.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: call for projects, activation policy, employment
Publication date:
Today, the first residents have arrived in the new reception centre in Walcourt, which can host 49 asylum seekers. Other residents, mainly families, will arrive gradually over the next few days.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: reception centre
Publication date:
According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 3.721 persons obtained Belgian nationality in May 2023. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in May are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Italy.
Read more
Main theme: Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
Publication date:
As part of his “Turbo Plan”, Flemish Minister for the Interior and Civic Integration, Bart Somers (Open VLD) wants newly-arrived third-country nationals without a high school diploma to undergo training in order to be able to practice a bottleneck profession. This training would be part of the civic integration programme.
Read more
Main theme: Integration
Keywords: civic integration programme, shortage occupation, on-the-job training
Publication date:
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration tasked the Immigration Office to implement a prevention campaign to make people in Nigeria aware of the dangers of human trafficking, exploitation and the risks associated with irregular migration.
Read more
Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: prevention campaign, human trafficking, Nigeria
Publication date:
Today, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Vincent Van Quickenborne, officially launched the campaign in Liège. On this occasion, he inaugurated the new telephone number - 078 055 800 - of the Belgian helpline for victims of human trafficking.
Read more
Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: blue heart campaign, victim of trafficking
Publication date:
The CGRS has published the asylum figures for June 2023. The Immigration Office registered 2,740 applicants for international protection. Another 15 persons were registered in the framework of resettlement. As a result, the total number of applicants in June is 2,755.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: asylum figures
Publication date:
The list of safe countries of origin, which is revised once a year, was updated on 7 April 2023 and is now published in Belgium’s Official Journal. At present, the following countries are considered as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and India.
Read more
Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: list of safe countries of origin
Publication date:
With this awareness campaign entitled "Working together in the fight against human smuggling – Help save lives!", the Police want to encourage both nautical equipment dealers and citizens to report suspicious purchases or movements on the beach to the police via 112, via the 112 app or directly via the 101.
Read more
Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: human smuggling, awareness campaign, nautical equipment
Publication date:
Today, in the Committee on Justice of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne announced that Mr. Klaus Vanhoutte, former director of Payoke and one of the experts of the Special Committee on Trafficking in Human Beings and People Smuggling, had been recruited and appointed as national coordinator for the fight against human trafficking and smuggling.
Read more
Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
The population growth in Belgium in 2022 is the result of a positive international migration balance
Publication date:
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, published today official figures relating to population movement. In 2022 the positive international migration balance, which offsets the negative natural balance, ensures a solid population growth. The strongly positive international migration balance in 2022 can be explained by the war in Ukraine.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: population movement, population growth, international migration balance
Publication date:
The special parliamentary Commission tasked to assess the Belgian legislation and policy on trafficking in and smuggling of human beings adopted today 100 recommendations dealing with various forms of exploitation such as economic exploitation, sexual exploitation, the exploitation of begging, forced criminality, illegal adoption, and forced marriage.
Read more
Publication date:
Today, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden, Fedasil, Child Focus, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, and the Guardianship Service presented together a guide aimed at preventing and resolving the disappearance of unaccompanied foreign minors.
Read more
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors, disappearance
Publication date:
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor signed today an agreement with the Senegalese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Annette Seck. Belgium and Senegal agreed to cooperate on the return of irregularly staying Senegalese nationals and on legal migration.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: voluntary return, legal migration, circular migration
Publication date:
Thanks to this collaboration, young people from all over the country will be able to volunteer in the reception centers and young asylum seekers will be able to get involved in society outside the center where they are staying.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: volunteer, reception centre
Publication date:
The International Knowledge Platform of the Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) organises a two-day hybrid international event on sustainable asylum reception. Based on presentations, lectures, and inspiring examples, discussions will focus on the asylum reception centre of the future.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: reception centre, sustainable reception
Publication date:
In the first three months of this year, 959 irregularly staying third-country nationals were subject to forced return from Belgium. That is twice as many as in the same period last year, when it concerned 502 persons.
Read more
Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: irregularly staying third-country national, forced return
Publication date:
Today EMN Belgium visited Enabel partners to discuss themes and activities of common interest. Both the EMN Belgium team and the Enabel staff members in charge of human mobility and of strategic partnerships look forward to working together even more closely in the future.
Read more
Main theme: External Dimension
Publication date:
Today, Italy declared a state of emergency over the “sharp rise” in the number of migrants arriving on the country’s shores through the dangerous Mediterranean route. It’s the first time Italy has resorted to such a drastic measure since 2011.
Read more
Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: state of emergency, Italy, Mediterranean region
Publication date:
The Organisation wide Incident Team (KCT) organizes an international conference to provide the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from each other to better deal with situations of self-destructive behaviour (suicide attempt, hunger or thirst strike, etc.) among asylum seekers.
Read more
Main theme: Asylum
Keywords: self-destructive behaviour, hunger strike, thirst strike, suicide
Publication date:
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor is on a mission to Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with that country regarding the prevention of irregular migration and return.
Read more
Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Vietnam, irregular migration, migrant smuggling
Publication date:
The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor has appointed Sophie Van Balberghe as the new Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS). The Council of Ministers approved her appointment today.
Read more
Main theme: International Protection
Publication date:
Nicole de Moor calls for an interministerial conference on labour migration to better protect and integrate migrant workers. Integration courses for this target group should be considered.