From 18 August 2025, new rules for family reunification enter into force in Belgium. They do not apply to all applicants. Some cases continue under the old rules, others transition to the new rules in 2027, while certain applications are immediately subject to the new framework. This article explains who is affected and how the rules will change.

The term “instrumentalisation of migrants” describes a strategy where countries outside the EU use the movement of people to put political pressure on the Union or one of its Member States. This has happened at several borders in recent years and has had real human consequences. A new paper from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) explains what the phenomenon is, the dilemmas it creates, and why responses must strike a careful balance.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.923 persons obtained Belgian nationality in May 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in May are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Turkey and Italy.

A European pilot project is underway to improve access to sustainable housing for beneficiaries of international protection and beneficiaries of temporary protection. Running from November 2024 to October 2027, PATHS brings together IOM, Orbit and Fedasil in Belgium, with partners in France and Greece. The initiative focuses on preventing homelessness through housing platforms, stronger intermediary organisations and greater engagement with property owners.

The European Commission has formally established the Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. This expert group will bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers to tackle abuse both online and offline. Prevention efforts aim to protect children and address potential offending behaviour. The initiative forms part of the EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse.

From 4 August 2025, Belgium implements two changes affecting international protection procedures. The period to justify absence from personal interviews is reduced from 15 to 8 days. In addition, new applications submitted after a decision on a previous request in another EU Member State are now registered as subsequent applications.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that a Member State may designate a third country as a ‘safe country of origin’ by legislative act, provided that the designation can be subject to effective judicial review. The judgment clarifies that the sources used for such a designation must be accessible to both applicants and courts. The Court also stated that a country cannot be listed as ‘safe’ if it does not offer adequate protection to all its population.

De Europese Commissie heeft aangekondigd dat het Entry/Exit System (EES), een geavanceerd IT-systeem dat de in- en uitreizen van onderdanen van derde landen die voor een kort verblijf naar 29 Europese landen reizen digitaal registreert, op 12 oktober 2025 in gebruik zal worden genomen.

Het Commissariaat-Generaal voor de Vluchtelingen en Staatlozen (CGVS) heeft aangekondigd dat de opschorting van de verwerking van aanvragen om internationale bescherming van Syriërs, een maatregel die sinds december 2024 van kracht is, wordt verlengd tot eind oktober 2025.

Het blauwe hart wordt erkend als het internationale symbool in de strijd tegen mensenhandel. Op 28 juli 2025 werd de “Blue Heart”-campagne gelanceerd op het stadhuis van Leuven. EMN België was erbij, net als de lokale autoriteiten, de drie gespecialiseerde centra voor slachtoffers van mensenhandel, het federaal migratiecentrum Myria, het VN-Bureau voor drugs- en misdaadbestrijding (UNODC) en vele andere belanghebbenden. Het thema van dit jaar is “Mensenhandel is georganiseerde misdaad - maak een einde aan de uitbuiting”.

De Belgische Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers heeft een wet aangenomen die de kosten voor het registreren van het verkrijgen van de Belgische nationaliteit verhoogt van € 150 naar € 1.000. Deze wijziging, opgenomen in de op 18 juli 2025 aangenomen programmawet, maakt deel uit van een breder pakket begrotingsmaatregelen. Het nieuwe bedrag geldt voor aanvragen die worden ingediend nadat de wet van kracht is geworden en worden jaarlijks geïndexeerd.

On 23 July, Belgium officially published two new laws aimed at reducing the burden on international protection procedures and limiting access to reception for certain applicants. In particular, these laws redefine which applications are considered subsequent by including those who have already received protection or a final decision in another EU country, and they limit access to reception facilities and material assistance for this group. The laws reflect the government’s intention to streamline asylum processing and manage reception capacity effectively.

The Dutch Council of State has ruled that single male asylum seekers may no longer be transferred to Belgium under the Dublin Regulation. The judgment cites systemic failures in Belgium’s reception and legal protection for this group, exposing them to a real risk of inhuman treatment. These individuals must now remain in the Netherlands while their asylum claims are processed.

The Belgian Council of Ministers has approved a draft law enabling home searches, with judicial authorisation, in cases involving non-cooperative foreign nationals facing return and posing a threat to public order or national security. The measure is similar to one previously discussed in 2018 and will now be submitted to the Council of State for its opinion. Several civil society organisations have expressed concerns about its implications.

The Belgian Chamber of Representatives has adopted new legislation modifying the conditions for family reunification under the law of 15 December 1980. The changes introduce stricter income requirements and modify waiting periods for certain categories of foreign nationals, particularly those benefiting from international or subsidiary protection. The legislation was approved with a majority vote during a plenary session and aims to regulate access to family reunification, a principal legal pathway for foreign nationals to join family members in Belgium.

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), totalling nearly €2 trillion. A significant portion of this budget—approximately €81 billion—is earmarked for migration, border management, and internal security. Within this amount, €34 billion is specifically allocated to migration management, tripling the funding compared to the previous period.

Het Europees Migratienetwerk (EMN) heeft zijn populaire glossarium toegankelijker dan ooit gemaakt. Het kan geraadpleegd worden via een vernieuwde website en mobiele app. Met meer dan 540 asiel- en migratietermen in 27 talen helpt het glossarium om complexe concepten te begrijpen. Of je nu een student, journalist, eerstelijnswerker of gewoon nieuwsgierig bent naar asiel en migratie in Europa, het EMN Glossarium biedt duidelijke definities, betrouwbare vertalingen en slimme zoekfuncties - gratis en toegankelijk voor iedereen.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.336 persons obtained Belgian nationality in April 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in April are Morocco, Romania, Syria, France and Turkey.

On 11 July, the Belgian Council of Ministers approved a draft bill that broadens the circumstances under which Belgian nationality may be withdrawn. This reform enlarges the list of serious criminal offences that can lead to loss of nationality and mandates judges to systematically consider deprivation in terrorism convictions. The draft bill will now be submitted to the Council of State for its opinion.

Het Europees Migratienetwerk (EMN) heeft zijn Asiel- en Migratieoverzicht 2024 gepubliceerd, met bijdragen van 30 Europese landen. Het Belgische en EU overzicht werden beiden vandaag gepubliceerd, waarbij het Europese overzicht vandaag, 9 juli 2025, werd gepresenteerd tijdens een online lanceringsevenement met meer dan 260 deelnemers. Voor het eerst is het EU overzicht beschikbaar in een interactief formaat dat dynamische toegang biedt tot belangrijke gegevens en trends.

In 2024, 774 unaccompanied foreign minors were reported missing in Belgium—nearly fifteen every week. Around 100 of these cases were considered particularly alarming. The figures, disclosed in response to a parliamentary question by MP Matti Vandemaele (Groen), rank Belgium among the European countries most affected by the phenomenon. Child protection organisations warn that structural gaps may hinder the identification and protection of vulnerable children.

On 11 June 2024, the European Commission proposed to extend the temporary protection for people fleeing Russia's aggression against Ukraine for another year, from 5 March 2025 to 4 March 2026. The Council still needs to formally adopt the proposal.

During a joint webinar, experts from the European Migration Network and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development highlighted the positive trends characterizing the labour market integration of Ukrainians, including employment rates and their progress, main sectors of employment, and most common policies and measures for facilitating labour market integration. They also identified the difficulties and remaining challenges in this domain.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Belgium has granted temporary protection to 93.343 Ukrainians, with a sharp decline beginning in 2023 and continuing into 2024 and early 2025. As the number of arrivals has slowed and the focus shifts to integration efforts, both the Flemish and Walloon governments plan to gradually reduce reception capacity for beneficiaries of temporary protection in the coming months.

Eurostat published today data referring to the attribution of temporary protection status based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022. On 31 August 2023, almost 4.2 million non-EU citizens, who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, had temporary protection status in EU countries.