Nearly 320,000 foreigners are registered in the five major cities, out of a total of 1.4 million inhabitants. That accounts for a fifth of their population. Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège face obvious challenges in this regard and the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration has initiated talks with mayors and aldermen to support them in the face of these challenges.

Nicole de Moor wants to move forward on three issues:

1. Administrative simplification: The administrative burden should be further reduced and visits at counters should be limited (inter alia regarding the registration of foreigners within municipalities).

2. Return and criminality: Projects should be set up with cities to guide illegally staying third-country nationals (primarily those who commit crimes) towards return, voluntary if possible, forced if necessary. 

3. Social initiatives: Information points should be organised in the cities and cooperation should be intensified with all local services to employ more asylum seekers during their procedure.

For further details, please read (in Dutch) the press release from the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.