From 1 February 2024, applicants from nationalities that have very little chance of obtaining international protection, just like those appearing on the list of safe countries of origin, have been processed in an accelerated procedure in Belgium.

In a press release from 31 October 2024, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, announced that, since then, applications from 859 people have been processed more quickly, and in 96% of cases, a protection status was not granted. Applications from people from safe countries are processed in 14 working days, and those of people with little chance of protection are processed in 40 working days.

Ms de Moor wants to go one step further and discourage people who do not need protection from applying for international protection in Belgium. She, among other things, tasked the Immigration Office with using social media to raise awareness among the nationalities concerned that people will end up in an accelerated procedure and will have to return within a very short time if the decision is negative.

For further details, please read (in Dutch) the press release from the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.