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.

According to a report commissioned by the governor of West Flanders, a total of 632 transmigrants were caught in the province in 2024, while in 2023 there were fewer than 400. The province's share of interceptions also went up. West Flanders accounted for about 70% of all transit migrants intercepted in Belgium in 2024, compared to around 50% in previous years.

On 16 January 2025, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) released asylum statistics for the whole year 2024. According to the figures, 39.615 persons, mainly from Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Turkey, applied for international protection in Belgium. The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration stressed that a large number of these applicants were already registered in another Member State.

On 16 January EMN Belgium participated in the MIGLOBA Day 2025, an event dedicated to the University of Antwerp’s Network on Migration and Global Mobility.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.140 persons obtained Belgian nationality in October 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in October are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Italy.

While Belgium continues to face a reception crisis, ongoing since the summer of 2021, the latest figures from Fedasil show that the number of places for asylum seekers made available by municipalities continues to decrease.

Due to the numerous amendments to the Aliens Act, the development of a Migration Code has appeared necessary. In this context, a Commission of Independent Experts was established to provide guidance for the drafting of a new Code. Its final report, now publicly available, presents, among other elements, the Commission’s working methodology, key guidelines for codification, a proposed structure for the Code, and its discussions on draft texts.

As of 7 January 2025, 160 additional emergency shelter places are made available for homeless people sleeping on the streets in the Brussels Capital Region, supplementing the existing 2.600 places within the Brussels unhoused shelter network. The emergency shelter places are open to all homeless people, regardless of residence status.

From 1 January 2025 until 31 December 2026, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) will support Belgium to increase the capacities of the national asylum and reception authorities. Asylum support teams will be deployed to support the registration and processing of cases as well as the design, update and implementation of specific systems and tools. 

On 19 December 2024, Myria published the sixth thematic section of its 2024 annual report. In this section, entitled « Nationality », Myria pays particular attention inter alia to the sums to be paid to become Belgian and analyses the impact of such costs on fundamental rights and on women's access to nationality.

As of 9 December 2024, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons will temporarily suspend processing cases of applicants originating from Syria. Planned personal interviews will be cancelled and assessments will be temporarily put on hold.

On the occasion of International Volunteer Day, Fedasil highlights the importance of volunteers who give their time to residents in reception centres and of sponsors who create links with these residents outside of the centres. If you have free time, join them and contact a reception centre in your neighbourhood!

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the International Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, UNHCR and NANSEN organise a study day on statelessness. Particular emphasis will be placed on the rights of stateless persons and the specific procedures applicable in Belgium, in particular the new residence procedure for stateless persons.

The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration has announced that she would use all possible means to reduce the number of applications from persons who already have protection in another EU Member State. She intends to oppose the Council for Aliens Law Litigation's rulings leading to the admissibility of these applications and the recognition of a protected status.  

Myria has published the fifth thematic section of its 2024 annual report. In this section, entitled « International protection », Myria pays particular attention inter alia to the new residence procedure for stateless persons. The Federal Migration Centre underlines that the new procedure is subject to strict conditions and that it provides reduced procedural guarantees for stateless persons.

EMN Belgium visited the team of DEI Belgium - ECPAT to better understand each other's activities and deepen exchanges and opportunities for cooperation. EMN Belgium, for example, learned more about their work to protect migrant children and their parents in reception centres.

The Federal Public Service Justice is currently able to assign a guardian to an unaccompanied foreign minor within the normal period of 8 weeks. However, the demand for guardians remains high in Limburg, Antwerp and Brussels, and the Guardianship Service is still urgently looking for additional guardians.

The Federal Institute for Human Rights launched an investigation into "the growing tendency of Belgian authorities not to implement court decisions that condemn them", inter alia regarding the reception of applicants for international protection. The report following the investigation will be sent to the Chamber of Representatives.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.048 persons obtained Belgian nationality in August 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in August are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Italy and France.

Fedasil announced that the Belgian reception network has now a higher capacity than that recorded during the asylum crisis of 2015-2016. However, this capacity is insufficient to accommodate all applicants for international protection who are entitled to reception. At present, 2.650 single men are still on the waiting list for a reception place.

Fedasil announced that it can temporarily make use of centres in Bredene (Flanders) and in Theux (Wallonia) to accommodate applicants for international protection until March 2025. Both sites have already been used by Fedasil in the past, each time for a period of a few months. 

From 2014 to 2023, Esperanto provided shelter and support to 156 foreign minors victims of human trafficking and/or aggravated smuggling. According to Myria, who analysed the figures, just over half of these 156 young people were victims of sexual exploitation or were forced to commit criminal acts.

Nicole de Moor said that applications relating to 859 persons have already been processed in accelerated procedure since February 2024. In 96 % of cases, applicants were not granted protection status. Ms de Moor wants to focus more on prevention to prevent people who do not need protection from applying for international protection in Belgium.

As of 24 October 2024, the centre for registering applications for international protection is located at rue Belliard 68 in 1000 Brussels. Applications can still be registered in the Pacheco building until Wednesday, 23 October 2024.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.806 persons obtained Belgian nationality in July 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in July are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Afghanistan and Italy.