The Return Expert Group (REG) within the EMN conducted a successful workshop dedicated to advancing multistakeholder governance towards case resolution of undocumented migrants. Facilitated by EMN Belgium and the Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil), this event focused on fostering connections between national authorities, local administrations and civil society organisations (CSOs).
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: undocumented migrants, case resolution, multistakeholder governance
The first 15 asylum seekers have arrived today at the new Fedasil reception centre in Grimbergen. The new reception centre, which will accommodate up to 100 people, is specifically intended for people with medical problems, as well as their families.
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Main Theme: Reception
Keywords: reception centre, medical care
On the proposal of the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Council of Ministers agreed today on the extension of support measures for the reception and support of asylum seekers in the Brussels-Capital Region. A total of 2000 places are now available for asylum seekers who cannot immediately get a place in the Fedasil reception network.
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Main Theme: Reception
Keywords: homeless shelter, reception centre, reception crisis
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
At a conference today, the European Commission proposed new legislation to prevent and fight migrant smuggling and also launched a call to action for a Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: migrant smuggling, criminal network, Europol
The European Commission is presenting today a set of good practices to help Member States implement in the most effective way the actions to which they have committed under the Dublin Roadmap.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: Dublin Regulation, Dublin Roadmap, Dublin transfer
The Court of Justice of the European Union has released two judgements today, respectively in Case C‑374/22 and in Case C‑614/22, where specific provisions of Directive 2011/95/EU must be interpreted as not requiring the Member States to grant the parent of a child who has refugee status in a Member State the right to international protection in that Member State.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: derived right to international protection, parent, family unity
In a press release published today, Doctors of the World declared that it opposes a new article of the draft law presented by Nicole de Moor, providing for the possibility of carrying out medical examinations under constraint to facilitate the forced return of third-country nationals. Doctors of the World says this measure risks further complicating access to health care for these particularly vulnerable people.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: proactive return policy, medical examination, constraint
The European Migration Network (EMN) held a two-day conference titled ‘Shaping the future of EU legal migration: where are we and where do we want to go?’. The event was part of Spain’s current presidency of the Council of the EU, with a focus on legal migration strategies to attract the talent and skills needed from abroad.
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Main Theme: Economic migration
Keywords: talent partnership, talent mobility, skills recognition, EU Talent Pool, labour shortage
In a press release published today, Myria says it receives many reports from people linked in one way or another to Belgium, who are stuck in extremely threatening circumstances in Gaza.
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Main Theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Gaza, Palestinian, visa application, international protection
Through its campaign “So what, we continue the exploitation?”, the CIRÉ underlines that undocumented workers who informally fill the labour needs, are at risk of being exploited. It pleads to give them access to legal work, particularly through the single permit procedure.
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Main Theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: undocumented migrants, undocumented worker, single permit, labour shortages, labour exploitation
The Commission is today presenting a Skills and Talent Mobility package to make the EU more attractive to talent from outside the EU and to facilitate mobility within it. Today's measures include a new EU Talent Pool to match employers in the EU with jobseekers in third countries, as well as measures to promote the recognition of qualifications and learner's mobility.
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Main Theme: Economic migration
Keywords: EU Talent Pool, talent partnership, skills recognition, mobility
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 "labour shortage" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!
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Main Theme: Economic migration
Keywords: labour shortage, labour market access
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration discussed today with mayors and aldermen of the five major cities of Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège to find ways to reduce the administrative burden in the field of asylum and migration, to guide illegally staying third-country nationals towards return and to implement social initiatives promoting, among others, the employment of applicants for international protection.
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Main Theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: cities, administrative burden, proactive return policy, labour market access
Nicole de Moor presented today a draft law which aims, in accordance with the federal government agreement, to enshrine in law a proactive return policy. The draft law inter alia provides for the obligation to cooperate in the return procedure and for the intensive individual follow up of third-country nationals who have received an order to leave the territory.
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Samusocial, CIRÉ, Médecins du Monde, Ilot and the Brussels Platform Armoede have launched the campaign "Without papers, without rights, without shelter" to demonstrate the reality of undocumented persons and to propose concrete recommendations to policymakers in this field.
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Main Theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: homeless, undocumented migrants, access to employment, access to healthcare, gender
The Flemish Bar Association obtained in court that the Immigration Office provide lawyers with a detailed organisation chart allowing them to enter directly into contact with the employees handling the cases they are defending.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: transparency, Immigration Office
The campaign aims to raise awareness among people in Guinea of the dangers of irregular migration, such as the risk of exploitation and dangerous crossings. People are also made aware of local employment opportunities and legal migration channels.
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Main Theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: prevention campaign, awareness campaign, Guinea
The World Health Organization has published its first-ever global research agenda on health, migration and displacement to guide research efforts to understand and address the health needs of migrants, refugees, and all forcibly displaced populations and shape responsive policies and practices worldwide.
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Main Theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: health, health emergency, migrant health
The 2023 Innovation Awards were awarded at the IOM Global Chiefs of Missions Meeting (GCOMM) in Istanbul on 25 October 2023. In the category "Regular Pathways", Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E), which facilitates skilled migration for displaced talent to respond to labour market shortages, was acknowledged as the changemaker.
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Main Theme: Economic migration
Keywords: regular pathway, skilled migrants, displaced person, labour market shortage
The International Migration Outlook 2023, published today by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), highlights inter alia that permanent-type migration to OECD countries increased by 26% in 2022 compared with 2021. In Belgium and in many OECD countries, permanent-type migration was higher in 2022 than in any of the previous 15 years.
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Main Theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: international migration trend, labour market integration, permanent migration
The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 20 October 2023 that the notification of decisions granting or refusing subsidiary protection status to applicants from Gaza and the West Bank is suspended until the CGRS has sufficient objective information to assess the security situation in the Palestinian territories accurately.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: Gaza, West Bank, refugee status, subsidiary protection status
Home Affairs Ministers met at the JHA Council in Brussels on 19 October. They discussed progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and exchanged views on the EU’s approach to the external dimension of migration. They stressed that the EU should efficiently use all the tools at its disposal to develop a preventive model which would hinder irregular departures, as well as to foster the effectiveness of returns.
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Main Theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Justice and Home Affairs Council, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, external dimension, return policy
For the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the European Commission is launching an awareness-raising campaign to inform citizens on the reality of this crime. The European Commission invites every citizen to help raise awareness by becoming part of the ‘End human trafficking. Break the invisible chain’ campaign.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: anti-trafficking day, awareness campaign
After the terrorist attack perpetrated by an illegally staying failed asylum seeker in the centre of Brussels on 16 October, various policymakers plead for better follow-up of failed asylum seekers and stricter enforcement of orders to leave the territory.