Publication date: 06 June 2022
Did Member States suspend decision-making on applications for international protection from Afghan nationals when the Taliban took over the control of Afghanistan in August 2021? This ad hoc query launched by Belgium examines the nature and consequences of such suspension in terms of hearings, protection statuses etc.
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Publication date: 08 November 2017
Forced returns of rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan have been heavily debated in Sweden. In this context, the Swedish Contact Point of the EMN has gathered and analyzed the information provided by 17 Member States, including Belgium, on this topic.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: forced return, Afghanistan
Publication date: 08 May 2017
This publication is based on social media research conducted by a small UNHCR team. Between March and December 2016, they issued weekly monitoring reports which have now been compiled into this synopsis.
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Main theme: International Protection, Smuggling & Trafficking
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: social media, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria
Publication date: 17 August 2015
On 27 July 2015, UNHCR and Fedasil launched the report “All Born on 01/01” which examines the situation of Afghan asylum seekers residing in collective reception centres in Belgium.
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Main theme: Reception
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: UNHCR, reception centre, Fedasil, Afghanistan
Publication date: 05 March 2015
In this dissertation to obtain the degree of Doctor at Maastricht University, Marieke van Houte shows that the expectations on which migration and development policies are based only apply to a small minority of returnees, who are not the group that is targeted by these policies.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Study
Keywords: Afghanistan, agents of changes, AVRR, development, post-conflict situation, return migration, return policies
Publication date:
Belgium has confirmed its participation in an exploratory administrative mission to Afghanistan, representing 20 European Union Member States. The announcement was made by Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt. The mission, organised by the European Commission, aimed to establish technical administrative contacts with Afghan authorities. The initiative has drawn attention from refugee organisations, which have expressed concern about engagement with the Taliban regime.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return, forced return, illegally staying person, Afghanistan, identification, criminal foreigner
Publication date:
On 16 October 2025, twenty EU Member States signed a joint letter urging the European Commission to take coordinated steps to enable voluntary and forced return to Afghanistan. The initiative, led by Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, calls for a coherent European approach to address cases of Afghan nationals residing irregularly in the EU, particularly those posing a threat to public order or national security. The signatories stress that credible migration policies require effective return mechanisms and call for tangible progress by the end of the year.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Afghanistan, voluntary return, forced return, public order, national security
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.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: forced return, Afghanistan
Publication date:
Myria has published the sixth thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "International protection" reports that the refusal rate for asylum seekers from Afghanistan in 2022 is higher in Belgium (56%) than the average for EU countries (47%). In the event of return, some Afghan asylum seekers could risk degrading or even inhuman treatment (prohibited by Article 3 of the ECHR), given the current situation in Afghanistan.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: Afghanistan, refusal rate, inhuman or degrading treatment
Publication date:
At the initiative of the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration, the premiums granted to Afghan and Iraqi nationals who voluntarily return to their country of origin have been temporarily doubled.
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Main theme: Asylum, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Afghanistan, departure premium, Iraq, voluntary return
Publication date:
The report entitled ‘Afghanistan security situation’provides a comprehensive overview of the security situation in Afghanistan, and information relevant for the protection status determination of Afghan asylum seekers.