Thirty-eight members of a Belgian-Chinese human trafficking network have been formally referred by the Ghent chamber of indictment to the correctional court. They face multiple charges including sexual exploitation, trafficking, pimping, money laundering, and document forgery. The Federal Migration Centre, Myria, has joined the case as a civil party, representing the interests of victims. 

Fedasil has announced a further reduction in the number of reception places for unaccompanied foreign minors (MENA), with 279 places set to be withdrawn from the network by 1 September 2025. The measure, approved in April, comes in response to the continuing decline in arrivals observed since 2023. Most of the places concerned will be converted into generic reception places.

As of 1 January 2025, more than one-third of Belgium’s population has a foreign background, according to the latest data from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. While 64% of residents are Belgian with a Belgian background, the remainder includes Belgians with a foreign background and non-Belgians. Regional disparities and changes over the last two decades highlight evolving demographic patterns.

According to a press release published on 11 June 2025, Statbel reported that 60.108 individuals acquired Belgian nationality in 2024. The five most common previous nationalities among those who became Belgian were Moroccan, Syrian, Romanian, Afghan and Turkish.

On 6 June 2025, the Flemish Government approved a communication advancing the development of pre-arrival integration trajectories for newcomers from their countries of origin. This step follows earlier pilot projects and aims to better prepare family reunification and labour migrants for life in Flanders through a digital societal orientation course. 

On 13 May 2025, Belgian authorities arrested six individuals in West Flanders as part of a coordinated international operation targeting an organised migrant smuggling network suspected of facilitating the irregular entry of up to 300 non-EU nationals into the European Union. In total, fifteen suspects were apprehended in Belgium, Germany and Poland, in a series of actions supported by Europol and Eurojust and involving close cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities in the participating countries.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.922 persons obtained Belgian nationality in February 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in February are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.

On 11-12 May 2025, Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt visited Chisinau to emphasise that asylum applications from Moldovan nationals—coming from a country considered safe—are processed through an accelerated procedure in Belgium. She also announced the immediate discontinuation of the return incentive, which is seen as encouraging misuse of the asylum system. 

In 2024, 19.435 people participated in the Social Orientation (Maatschappelijke Oriëntatie, MO) course in Flanders. This marks a significant increase in participation. Alongside the rising numbers of participants in the Social Orientation course, the demand for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) courses also remains high, as evidenced by recent reports from AMAL vzw, Atlas Antwerp, and the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration.

On 7 May 2025, the Court of First Instance of West Flanders, Bruges division, sentenced the Vietnamese national, N. Van Kim (34), in absentia to twelve years’ imprisonment and a fine of €616,000 for human smuggling under aggravating circumstances. The court also ordered the deprivation of his civil rights for ten years and issued a warrant for his immediate arrest.

On the occasion of Labour Day, Fedasil published new figures on the professional activity of applicants for international protection residing in reception centres. In 2024, 41% of those allowed to work were active on the Belgian labour market. The data show differences in employment rates depending on gender, age, and nationality.

Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, warns that the measures announced by the federal government in its "Easter Agreement" violate the right to family life. The institution announced in a press release published on Tuesday that it had shared its observations with the government and expressed hope for a constructive dialogue.

On 23 April 2025, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announced an extension of the suspension of the processing of applications for international protection from Syrian nationals. The suspension, initially introduced on 9 December 2024, will remain in place until at least the end of July 2025.

Recent data requested by Green party MP Matti Vandemaele from the Minister for Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA), indicate a notable increase in the time taken to process applications for international protection. This trend has implications for applicants, who remain in prolonged uncertainty, and for the national reception system, which continues to face significant pressure.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.353 persons obtained Belgian nationality in January 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in January are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Italy and Turkey.

On 11 April 2025, the Belgian Council of Ministers agreed on a package of crisis measures aimed at addressing key issues in the field of asylum and migration. The measures include limitations on reception for asylum seekers, restrictions on subsequent applications for international protection, stricter family reunification conditions, and the termination of integration income for asylum seekers. The four draft bills and the draft royal decree have been submitted to the Council of State for review.

In a judgment issued on 11 April 2025, the District Court of The Hague, sitting in Groningen, found that single, non-vulnerable male asylum seekers face a real risk of being deprived of adequate reception facilities in Belgium, which could lead to inhumane or degrading treatment. This ruling follows previous decisions by Dutch judges who determined that Dublin transfers to Belgium could not be carried out due to insufficient guarantees of proper accommodation.

Last year, Fedasil’s mobile and multilingual Reach Out team provided information to 1.702 migrants in precarious situations in Brussels and Flanders. Representing more than 75 nationalities, these individuals received counselling on a wide range of topics, from international protection and reception to healthcare, employment, and voluntary return.

An unprecedented international law enforcement operation has led to the dismantling of Kidflix, one of the world’s largest child sexual exploitation platforms. With the support of Europol, authorities from over 35 countries – including Belgium – coordinated efforts to shut down the site and identify the perpetrators. The platform had nearly two million registered users and facilitated the distribution of vast amounts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, has launched dissuasion campaigns on YouTube and via a WhatsApp channel that directly disseminates deterrence messages to potential asylum seekers. Several organisations have reacted to these campaigns, particularly criticising the messages conveyed by them.

The Minister for Asylum and Migration has decided to discontinue the Impuls Fund, which had been established to provide additional support to local authorities in covering the extra costs associated with opening new Local Reception Initiatives. The Minister will now move towards a more collective approach to reception, with existing Local Reception Initiatives being gradually phased out.   

In the note submitted to the Chamber of Representatives, Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt described the current situation as operationally, financially, and socially untenable. She announced her intention to urgently submit, as an initial step, a package of crisis measures to address the ongoing asylum and reception crisis. Additionally, she outlined a broader range of measures covering key aspects, including asylum and reception, migration, the protection of vulnerable groups, return and security, the social welfare system, and access to Belgian nationality.

On 12 March 2025, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announced that it would temporarily suspend the notification of decisions granting subsidiary protection, refusing refugee status and refusing subsidiary protection status from applicants from the West Bank until they have access to sufficient objective information to accurately assess the general situation in the West Bank.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.370 persons obtained Belgian nationality in December 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in December are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and France.

In 2024, 1.261 detainees were forcibly returned from Belgian prisons, down from 1.428 in 2023 and 1.511 in 2022, according to the Immigration Office. The most represented nationalities among those returned were Albanians, Moroccans, and Algerians. This decline comes amid ongoing challenges linked to prison overcrowding and changes in early-release policies.