The Minister of Asylum and Migration, the Belgian Immigration Office and the municipality of Nazareth-De Pinte have announced the opening of a new European Return Centre in Nazareth-De Pinte in autumn 2026. The centre will have a capacity of 300 places and will accommodate applicants for international protection for whom another EU Member State may be responsible for examining their application. The facility will complement the existing Centre in Zaventem and aims to support procedures related to transfers to the responsible Member State.

A draft law introducing the possibility of home searches to enforce return decisions has begun its parliamentary examination in the House of Representatives. The measure would concern certain third-country nationals subject to an enforceable return decision who do not cooperate with their return and are considered to pose a risk to public order or national security. Discussed by the Committee on Home Affairs on 16 June 2026, the proposal will be subject to consultations with experts and stakeholders before the committee continues its examination.

Belgium has taken up its role as Co-Chair of the EMN Return Expert Group (REG), together with the European Commission. In this capacity, EMN Belgium hosted a plenary meeting of the REG on 16 June 2026 in Brussels.

The Belgian Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announces a series of changes that will apply from 12 June 2026. These changes are part of the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted in 2024. They will affect asylum procedures, operational practices and new institutional responsibilities.

In 2025, minors accounted for 23.7% of all first-time asylum applicants in the European Union, according to recent Eurostat data. A total of 158.400 children applied for asylum for the first time, including a significant proportion of unaccompanied minors. While the overall number of minor applicants declined compared to previous years, children continue to represent a substantial share of asylum seekers in the EU.

The Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL) has made the use of its child-friendly courtroom (“Salle M”) a structural arrangement as of March 2026. The measure applies to asylum appeal cases involving unaccompanied minors and is accompanied by adapted summonses, age-appropriate information materials, and strengthened judicial training on children’s rights. The initiative builds on a pilot phase and forms part of broader European efforts to enhance child-friendly justice.

On 23 April 2026, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives adopted a bill introducing the possibility of imposing a lifetime entry ban on certain foreign nationals. The measure concerns individuals registered in the national database on terrorism, extremism and radicalisation and amends the Law of 15 December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, establishment and removal of foreign nationals.

Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt is carrying out a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The visit takes place in the context of a marked increase in asylum applications from Congolese nationals in Belgium in recent years. The mission aims to discourage unfounded asylum applications, address the misuse of visa procedures, counter document fraud and misleading messages from smugglers, and strengthen cooperation on return and the fight against irregular migration. 

On 31 March 2026, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announced that it would temporarily suspend the notification of certain decisions in cases concerning applicants from Lebanon, in view of the current situation in the country.

Belgium and Algeria have signed two linked agreements, one on the readmission of irregularly staying Algerians and another providing a visa exemption for holders of Algerian diplomatic and service passports. The readmission agreement introduces measures to speed up identification, extend the validity of travel documents, allow the return of multiple individuals on the same flight, and permit the use of Algerian escorts during enforced returns.

The Netherlands has decided to resume Dublin transfers of single, non-vulnerable male asylum seekers to Belgium, following a period in which such transfers were suspended after a Dutch court ruling. In April 2025, the District Court of The Hague, sitting in Groningen, found that single male asylum seekers risked being deprived of adequate reception conditions in Belgium, which could expose them to inhumane or degrading treatment. The ruling led to a halt in transfers under the EU Dublin system.

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has announced that it will resume processing cases from applicants originating from the West Bank who are not registered with UNRWA. The decision follows a temporary suspension in March 2025 due to the unstable situation in the region. The CGRS now has sufficient up-to-date and objective information to assess the need for international protection.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) has adopted its position on the proposed changes to the EU’s policy on the return of non-EU nationals illegally staying in the EU. Among the key measures, third-country nationals with a return decision must cooperate with authorities, may be returned to an agreeing third country, and could face detention of up to 24 months if they do not cooperate or risk absconding. The vote now moves to the full Parliament for approval, paving the way for negotiations with the Council on the final form of the legislation.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled on how maximum detention periods should be calculated for third-country nationals subject to return procedures. It confirmed that all periods of detention related to the same return decision must be aggregated, even if separated by periods of liberty. The Court also clarified that exceeding the initial six-month detention limit requires judicial review, which must be conducted as soon as possible after an extension decision.

According to the Latest Asylum Trends 2025 published by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), EU+ countries received approximately 822.000 applications for international protection in 2025, representing a 19 % decrease compared to 2024. Despite the overall decline, demand for protection remained significant in some groups and countries.

Civil society organisations, as highlighted by Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, have urged the federal government to abandon the draft law allowing home searches for enforcement of return decisions, citing serious concerns raised by the Council of State. The draft law, first adopted by the Council of Ministers in July 2025, has faced scrutiny from several advisory bodies, including Myria, the Children’s Rights Delegate, and the Data Protection Authority. Municipal motions in various cities, including Brussels, Verviers, and La Hulpe, have also questioned its provisions.

A joint initiative coordinated by the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) has brought together over 100 organisations across Europe to urge EU institutions to reject the proposed Return Regulation. The statement, issued on 11 February 2026, highlights concerns that the regulation could expand immigration detention, limit access to essential services, and increase surveillance and control over people in an irregular situation. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is scheduled to vote on the proposal in early March 2026.

The European Parliament has approved new EU asylum rules to enable faster processing of asylum requests. The reform establishes a common list of safe countries of origin while allowing Member States to maintain or designate additional safe countries at national level. It also clarifies the conditions under which Member States can apply the safe third country concept. While the legislation has now passed Parliament, it still needs to be formally adopted by the Council before entering into force.

On 3 February 2026, Fedasil published its statistics on voluntary returns for 2025. A total of 3.122 people chose to return to their country of origin. The number is slightly lower than in 2024 but higher than in 2023. The top destination countries include Brazil, Moldova, Syria, Colombia, and Turkey.

Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, has published a new thematic booklet as part of its annual report "Migration in figures and rights 2025". The publication presents recent figures on return, detention and removal, while analysing major legislative developments in Belgian return policy. It also examines the situation of detainees without legal residence in Belgian prisons and reviews the creation of the National Preventive Mechanism against ill-treatment in detention. According to Myria, return indicators have continued to rise after the pandemic, while new laws significantly expand the use of control and coercive measures.

In 2025, Belgium received 34.439 applications for international protection, a decline compared with 2024. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) took decisions on 31.457 people, with a protection rate falling to its lowest level in over a decade. Key factors behind this trend include the suspension of the processing of Syrian cases in the first ten months of 2025 and prioritisation of applications from individuals already protected in other EU Member States.

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.

During the informal European Justice and Home Affairs Council in Cyprus on 22 January 2026, Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt announced targeted measures to encourage the voluntary return of Syrian nationals. The plan includes enhanced reintegration assistance for Syrians choosing to return to their country, while continuing to implement forced returns for non-cooperating individuals in general, prioritising those irregularly staying in Belgium with criminal convictions.

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 15 January 2026 that it is temporarily suspending the processing of applications for international protection from Iranian nationals. The CGVS stated that, given the current situation in Iran and the difficulty in obtaining sufficiently reliable and up-to-date information, it is currently unable to assess the need for protection accurately.

On 8 January 2026, the Resettlement Coalition issued a joint statement expressing concern over the European Union’s newly adopted Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan (URP) for 2026–2027. While welcoming the plan’s adoption as a step towards embedding resettlement in EU migration policy, the coalition highlighted that the number of pledges is dramatically lower than previous commitments and that the eligibility criteria are narrow. The statement calls on EU Member States to increase their contributions and ensure that protection needs remain central to resettlement efforts.