Publication date:
Walloon Minister-President Elio Di Rupo has written to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to call for the regularisation of undocumented immigrants capable of working in jobs in short supply, reports L’Echo.
Read more
Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: labour shortage, shortage occupation, regularisation, single permit
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:
As the Big Data for Migration Alliance unveils the “Harnessing Data Innovation for Migration Policy: A Handbook for Practitioners”, the Egmont Institute organizes the handbook launch to discover how non-traditional data sources shape migration understanding.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: data ethics, data protection, data governance
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:
In a national study released in July 2023, EMN Belgium reviews the Belgian policy and practice regarding detention and alternatives to detention. The study clarifies which detention places and alternatives to detention exist in Belgium, how the decision-making process unfolds and how detention and its alternatives are actually implemented.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: detention, alternative to detention
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:
According to data on first residence permits published by Eurostat, almost 3,7 million first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens in 2022, a 26% increase (+753 445 permits) compared with 2021. This figure does not include persons granted authorization to reside and benefiting from temporary protection status for which statistics are collected under a separate data collection framework.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: first residence permit
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:
This call for expression of interest is open to all civil society organisations that have experience in the topic "Migrants in Europe today: specific needs, skills and communication for stronger inclusion". They should complete the application form by 14 September.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: European Migration Forum
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:
Myria has published the fourth thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "Economic migration, free movement en students" reports that 8.098 long-stay visas were granted for professional reasons to third-country nationals in 2022 (46% more than in 2021) and 19.721 single permits were issued to third-country nationals in 2022 (75% more than in 2021).
Read more
Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: long-stay visa, single permit, posted worker, student
Publication date:
In today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Camara v. Belgium, the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been a violation of Article 6 (right to a fair hearing) of the European Convention on Human Rights. It could not accept that the time taken by the Belgian authorities in the present case to enforce a court order aimed at protecting human dignity had been reasonable.
Read more
Main theme: Reception
Keywords: European Court of Human Rights, right to a fair hearing, reception, reception crisis
Publication date:
During the first six months of 2023, the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders already helped 152 people – mostly refugees – in their search for lost relatives. That is the highest number since 2017. The organisation is looking for volunteers who want to commit at least 6 hours a week to help find the missing relatives.
Read more
Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: refugee, missing relative
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 European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "temporary protection" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!
Read more
Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: temporary protection, Temporary Protection Directive
Publication date:
In a press release today, Frontex reported 330 000 irregular border crossings detected in 2022. This is the highest number since 2016 and an increase of 64% from the previous year.
Read more
Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: irregular border crossing, external border
Publication date:
The European Crime Prevention Award (ECPA) and Best Practice Conference (BPC) will focus on the trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation and other kinds of exploitation.
Read more
Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: human trafficking, labour exploitation, crime prevention
Publication date:
On the occasion of World Population Day, Eurostat states that, after a decline in population in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU’s population increased in 2022. The negative natural change (more deaths than births) was outnumbered by the positive net migration.
Read more
Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: population growth
Publication date:
During this conference, experts will discuss the implementation and efficiency of national and EU law on identifying and consequently combatting incidents of xenophobia and hate speech in Cyprus and in other European countries.
Read more
Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: hate speech
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:
In its judgments in cases C-8/22, C-663/21 and C-402/22, the Court clarified the conditions for revoking or refusing refugee status with regard to a third-country national who is convicted of a crime. The individual concerned must, inter alia, constitute a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society and the decision must observe the principle of proportionality.
Read more
Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: refugee status, revocation, refusal
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.