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Today, the first residents have arrived in the new reception centre in Walcourt, which can host 49 asylum seekers. Other residents, mainly families, will arrive gradually over the next few days.
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Main theme: Reception
Keywords: reception centre
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In a national study released in July 2023, EMN Belgium reviews the Belgian policy and practice regarding detention and alternatives to detention. The study clarifies which detention places and alternatives to detention exist in Belgium, how the decision-making process unfolds and how detention and its alternatives are actually implemented.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: detention, alternative to detention
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According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 3.721 persons obtained Belgian nationality in May 2023. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in May are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Italy.
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Main theme: Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
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As part of his “Turbo Plan”, Flemish Minister for the Interior and Civic Integration, Bart Somers (Open VLD) wants newly-arrived third-country nationals without a high school diploma to undergo training in order to be able to practice a bottleneck profession. This training would be part of the civic integration programme.
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Main theme: Integration
Keywords: civic integration programme, shortage occupation, on-the-job training
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The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration tasked the Immigration Office to implement a prevention campaign to make people in Nigeria aware of the dangers of human trafficking, exploitation and the risks associated with irregular migration.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: prevention campaign, human trafficking, Nigeria
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Myria has published the fourth thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "Economic migration, free movement en students" reports that 8.098 long-stay visas were granted for professional reasons to third-country nationals in 2022 (46% more than in 2021) and 19.721 single permits were issued to third-country nationals in 2022 (75% more than in 2021).
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Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: long-stay visa, single permit, posted worker, student
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During the first six months of 2023, the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders already helped 152 people – mostly refugees – in their search for lost relatives. That is the highest number since 2017. The organisation is looking for volunteers who want to commit at least 6 hours a week to help find the missing relatives.
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Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: refugee, missing relative
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The CGRS has published the asylum figures for June 2023. The Immigration Office registered 2,740 applicants for international protection. Another 15 persons were registered in the framework of resettlement. As a result, the total number of applicants in June is 2,755.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: asylum figures
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The list of safe countries of origin, which is revised once a year, was updated on 7 April 2023 and is now published in Belgium’s Official Journal. At present, the following countries are considered as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and India.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: list of safe countries of origin
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With this awareness campaign entitled "Working together in the fight against human smuggling – Help save lives!", the Police want to encourage both nautical equipment dealers and citizens to report suspicious purchases or movements on the beach to the police via 112, via the 112 app or directly via the 101.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: human smuggling, awareness campaign, nautical equipment
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Today, in the Committee on Justice of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne announced that Mr. Klaus Vanhoutte, former director of Payoke and one of the experts of the Special Committee on Trafficking in Human Beings and People Smuggling, had been recruited and appointed as national coordinator for the fight against human trafficking and smuggling.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
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During two lunch & learn sessions this week, the team of EMN Belgium met around 70 practitioners of the Immigration Office to inform them about the European Migration Network, to invite them to actively participate in the national network, and to explore concrete cooperation opportunities.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
The population growth in Belgium in 2022 is the result of a positive international migration balance
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Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, published today official figures relating to population movement. In 2022 the positive international migration balance, which offsets the negative natural balance, ensures a solid population growth. The strongly positive international migration balance in 2022 can be explained by the war in Ukraine.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: population movement, population growth, international migration balance
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This annual meeting is aimed at teachers who wish to discover new tools and start the school year with new ideas to talk about migration in the classroom.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: tool, education, migration
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The special parliamentary Commission tasked to assess the Belgian legislation and policy on trafficking in and smuggling of human beings adopted today 100 recommendations dealing with various forms of exploitation such as economic exploitation, sexual exploitation, the exploitation of begging, forced criminality, illegal adoption, and forced marriage.
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Today, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor, the Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden, Fedasil, Child Focus, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, and the Guardianship Service presented together a guide aimed at preventing and resolving the disappearance of unaccompanied foreign minors.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: unaccompanied minors, disappearance
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Myria has published the second thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "Humanitarian and medical regularisation" reports that 2.038 persons were regularized on humanitarian grounds in Belgium in 2022 (10% less than in 2021) and 248 persons were authorised to reside in Belgium on medical grounds in 2022 (against 1,330 people whose application was refused).
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Main theme: Regularization
Keywords: humanitarian regularisation, medical regularisation
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The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor signed today an agreement with the Senegalese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Annette Seck. Belgium and Senegal agreed to cooperate on the return of irregularly staying Senegalese nationals and on legal migration.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: voluntary return, legal migration, circular migration
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Thanks to this collaboration, young people from all over the country will be able to volunteer in the reception centers and young asylum seekers will be able to get involved in society outside the center where they are staying.
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Main theme: Reception
Keywords: volunteer, reception centre
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Today a social profit fair took place in Antwerp as part of the project “Every talent counts (in social profit)”. At these regional social profit fairs, persons with a migratory background are put into contact with diversity-oriented employers, training institutions, and supporting organizations such as VDAB and the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration.
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Main theme: Integration
Keywords: diversity, talent
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Myria has published the first thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "Access to the territory" presents the main key figures relating to short and long-stay visas as well as the different reasons and nationalities that stood out in 2022.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: access to the territory, short-stay visa, long-stay visa
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In the first three months of this year, 959 irregularly staying third-country nationals were subject to forced return from Belgium. That is twice as many as in the same period last year, when it concerned 502 persons.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: irregularly staying third-country national, forced return
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Today EMN Belgium visited Enabel partners to discuss themes and activities of common interest. Both the EMN Belgium team and the Enabel staff members in charge of human mobility and of strategic partnerships look forward to working together even more closely in the future.
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Main theme: External Dimension
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In an attempt to determine the real population of the country, including undocumented migrant people, VUB demographers applied a simple but innovative statistical method that they believe has provided the most accurate figures possible.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: undocumented migrants
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The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor is on a mission to Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with that country regarding the prevention of irregular migration and return.
