In his General Political Note on Asylum and Migration, Theo Francken - the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration - states that the central approach of the government’s policy would remain the same: provide protection to those who need it and ensure firm measures are taken against those who abuse the system.

The note outlines the main actions that have been taken in 2015 – in line with the Government Agreement - such as the fee to be paid by foreign nationals applying for certain Belgian residence permits; the increase of the resettlement quota; the return of around 1400 irregular migrants in detention; the increase in the number of reception places in the framework of the important increase of the number of asylum seekers…

The General Political Note also defines the main priorities for 2016. These focus on:

Asylum and reception: for ex., no longer grant refugees a residence permit of unlimited duration, but one that is valid for 5 years (and can be retracted); continue dissuasion campaigns targeting nationals of countries considered to be “safe countries of origin”; welcome 550 refugees in the framework of the resettlement scheme; …

National territory (access and stay): for ex., impose an administrative fine when registration/immigration procedures are not properly followed by EU citizens and their family members; transpose the Single Permit Directive (the aim is to present the legal texts to the Parliament in Spring 2016); …

Return policy (voluntary if possible, forced if necessary): for ex., encourage voluntary return by improving the collaboration between stakeholders, including local administrations; ensure the return of irregular migrants who constitute a threat to national security; increase the human ressources of the “closed centers”;…

Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL): for ex., the CAAL will focus as a priority on asylum cases, in order to avoid possible delays in asylum litigation.

For further information on the above mentioned actions, as well as on the other priorities defined by the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration for 2016, please read the General Policy Note on Asylum and Migration (available in French and Dutch).