Publication date:
In the new agreement, partners of the federal coalition intend to control the influx of migrants and to move further towards controlled migration. They also emphasise the need to foster the integration of newcomers, inter alia through a binding newcomer's declaration, and to impose requirements in this regard on those who wish to obtain or maintain a right of permanent residence in Belgium.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: federal coalition agreement, Belgium, controlled migration
EMN Belgium participates in a roundtable in the Senate on the abolition of female genital mutilation
Publication date:
On 5 February 2025, the Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) took part in a roundtable in the Senate, focusing on the abandonment of sexual mutilation. The Group for the Abolition of Sexual Mutilation (GAMS) inter alia stressed that it has limited visibility on individuals arriving in Belgium through family reunification, making it more difficult to raise awareness and monitor cases of female genital mutilation in the country.
Read more
Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: sexual mutilation, female genital mutilation
Publication date:
In a recent judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held that national legislation may oblige beneficiaries of international protection to pass a civic integration examination. However the fact of having failed such an examination cannot be systematically penalised by a fine.
Read more
Main theme: Integration
Keywords: civic exam, civic integration course, fine
Publication date:
On 3 February 2025, Belgium's new Federal 'Arizona' Government was sworn in before King Philippe. Anneleen Van Bossuyt, from the New Flemish Alliance Party (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, N-VA), becomes Minister of Asylum and Migration, Social Integration and Urban Policy.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Minister of Asylum and Migration, Belgium
Publication date:
In 2024, Belgium saw a notable increase in the number of individuals choosing voluntary return to their country of origin. According to Fedasil’s press release from 3 February 2024, the total number of individuals opting for voluntary return rose by 11% compared to the previous year.
Read more
Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return
Publication date:
The purpose of this conference is to address the situation of migrant women in Spain and in other Member states, highlighting the challenges and problems they face and what measures are being taken to ensure their integration and inclusion, especially with regard to access to the labour market and housing.
Read more
Main theme: Integration
Keywords: inclusion, migrant woman, labour market access, housing
Capacity building workshop: Screening of third-country nationals at the EU external borders (2 days)
Publication date:
This workshop, jointly organised by the General Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Luxembourg, the Detention Center of the Ministry of Home Affairs and EMN Luxembourg, will serve as a platform for Member States to exchange their first insights on progress made and challenges encountered while adapting to the new requirements put in place by the Screening Regulation.
Read more
Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: New Pact on Migration and Asylum, screening regulation
Publication date:
The European Commission has developed a new interactive tool to map labour migration pathways across the 27 EU Member States. It helps to visualise the 290 pathways that were active at the time of the research and updated to February 2024.
Read more
Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: labour migration, legal pathway, foreign job seeker
Publication date:
During this Networking Day, participants will examine ways to increase housing opportunities for newcomers. Through three workshops and a panel discussion, participants will bring together their experiences and expertise in the field.
Read more
Main theme: Integration
Keywords: housing shortage, suitable housing, Foreign newcomers
Publication date:
According to figures released by the Immigration Office, 20.724 decisions resulted in the granting of visas for family reunification in Belgium in 2024, compared to 18.738 in 2023 and 15.901 the year before. The increase concerns several categories, in particular family reunification with a refugee or beneficiary of subsidiary protection.
Read more
Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: family reunification visa, upward trend
Publication date:
In a press release published on 27 January 2025, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration announced that Belgian authorities could organise the forced return of Afghans to Istanbul and that partners on the ground could then take them to Afghanistan. This collaboration and the budgets for it still need to be finalised by a new government.
Read more
Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, Afghanistan
Publication date:
According to a report commissioned by the governor of West Flanders, a total of 632 transmigrants were caught in the province in 2024, while in 2023 there were fewer than 400. The province's share of interceptions also went up. West Flanders accounted for about 70% of all transit migrants intercepted in Belgium in 2024, compared to around 50% in previous years.
Read more
Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: transmigrant, transit migrant, West Flanders
Publication date:
On 23 January 2023, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs participated in the European Parliament plenary session to discuss EU funding of physical border protection structures such as walls, fences or other barriers at the external border. According to him, the Commission will take border management needs into account “in a holistic manner”, whilst always ensuring proportionate measures and respect for fundamental rights.
Read more
Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, physical border protection structure
Publication date:
The European Commission published its fifth report on the progress made in the EU in combatting Trafficking in Human Beings. The report outlines, inter alia, that in 2021-2022, the majority of victims were non-EU citizens (54%). This demonstrates a shift compared to 2019-2020, when the majority of registered victims were EU citizens (55%).
Read more
Publication date:
On 16 January 2025, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) released asylum statistics for the whole year 2024. According to the figures, 39.615 persons, mainly from Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Turkey, applied for international protection in Belgium. The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration stressed that a large number of these applicants were already registered in another Member State.
Read more
Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: asylum applications, asylum decisions, asylum figures
Publication date:
On 16 January EMN Belgium participated in the MIGLOBA Day 2025, an event dedicated to the University of Antwerp’s Network on Migration and Global Mobility.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: university of antwerp
Publication date:
With only 239 000 irregular crossings into the EU detected in 2024, Frontex reports the lowest number of irregular crossings since 2021, but warns about shifting dynamics and evolving challenges.
Read more
Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: irregular border crossing
Publication date:
According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.140 persons obtained Belgian nationality in October 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in October are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Italy.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
Publication date:
While Belgium continues to face a reception crisis, ongoing since the summer of 2021, the latest figures from Fedasil show that the number of places for asylum seekers made available by municipalities continues to decrease.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: local reception initiative, reception crisis, housing shortage
Publication date:
Due to the numerous amendments to the Aliens Act, the development of a Migration Code has appeared necessary. In this context, a Commission of Independent Experts was established to provide guidance for the drafting of a new Code. Its final report, now publicly available, presents, among other elements, the Commission’s working methodology, key guidelines for codification, a proposed structure for the Code, and its discussions on draft texts.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Migration Code, commission, report
Publication date:
As of 7 January 2025, 160 additional emergency shelter places are made available for homeless people sleeping on the streets in the Brussels Capital Region, supplementing the existing 2.600 places within the Brussels unhoused shelter network. The emergency shelter places are open to all homeless people, regardless of residence status.
Read more
Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: homeless shelter, extreme cold plan, homelessness
Publication date:
The UK Home Office released provisional figures showing that more than 36.000 people were detected in 2024, making the crossing of the English Channel in small boats. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that at least 78 migrants died trying to cross the Channel in 2024.
Read more
Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: English channel, illegal border crossing, small boat
Publication date:
Poland will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union until the end of June 2025. Its programme focuses on strengthening European security in its many dimensions. In the field of justice and home affairs, Poland aims inter alia to counter the instrumentalisation of migration by Russia and Belarus.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Polish Presidency, Council of the European Union
Publication date:
From 1 January 2025 until 31 December 2026, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) will support Belgium to increase the capacities of the national asylum and reception authorities. Asylum support teams will be deployed to support the registration and processing of cases as well as the design, update and implementation of specific systems and tools.
Read more
Main theme: Asylum
Keywords: EUAA, operational plan, operational assistance, technical assistance
Publication date:
As the year comes to a close, the team at the Belgian Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) would like to send you its heartfelt wishes for this holiday season. May the New Year bring us new opportunities for meaningful exchanges and positive impact as we continue to provide you with valuable information on asylum and migration.