Flanders granted around 21.460 work permits to non-EU nationals in 2025, the highest level in recent years. Seasonal work and medium- to high-skilled positions accounted for a large share of the permits. New rules introduced in January 2026 give priority to domestic and EU labour before non-EU recruitment. Stakeholders, including employer organisations and political parties, have expressed differing perspectives on these developments.

The European Parliament has approved new EU asylum rules to enable faster processing of asylum requests. The reform establishes a common list of safe countries of origin while allowing Member States to maintain or designate additional safe countries at national level. It also clarifies the conditions under which Member States can apply the safe third country concept. While the legislation has now passed Parliament, it still needs to be formally adopted by the Council before entering into force.

The documents set out key elements of the European Commission’s approach to managing international mobility to the EU. The EU Visa Strategy aims to strengthen the Union’s security and integrity through enhanced visa procedures, modernise the processing and management of visas, and support the EU’s economy and competitiveness by facilitating legitimate travel. Complementing this, the Recommendation on Attracting Talent for Innovation provides guidance to Member States on attracting, admitting, and retaining international students, researchers, highly skilled workers, and innovative entrepreneurs.

In 2025, Belgium received 34.439 applications for international protection, a decline compared with 2024. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) took decisions on 31.457 people, with a protection rate falling to its lowest level in over a decade. Key factors behind this trend include the suspension of the processing of Syrian cases in the first ten months of 2025 and prioritisation of applications from individuals already protected in other EU Member States.

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 15 January 2026 that it is temporarily suspending the processing of applications for international protection from Iranian nationals. The CGVS stated that, given the current situation in Iran and the difficulty in obtaining sufficiently reliable and up-to-date information, it is currently unable to assess the need for protection accurately.

Fragomen will host a webinar on recent changes to Belgium’s immigration policies. The session will cover two main areas: first, new rules in the Flanders Region concerning economic migration, including labour migration pathways, contractual liability, and labour market testing; and second, nationwide modifications affecting family reunification, such as stricter financial criteria for visa applications. The webinar will also highlight practical implications for businesses employing foreign nationals.

On 8 January 2026, the Resettlement Coalition issued a joint statement expressing concern over the European Union’s newly adopted Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan (URP) for 2026–2027. While welcoming the plan’s adoption as a step towards embedding resettlement in EU migration policy, the coalition highlighted that the number of pledges is dramatically lower than previous commitments and that the eligibility criteria are narrow. The statement calls on EU Member States to increase their contributions and ensure that protection needs remain central to resettlement efforts.

The Council of the European Union has agreed its position on two key proposals to strengthen the use of safe country concepts in EU asylum rules. One addresses the safe third country concept, and the other establishes the first EU‑wide list of safe countries of origin. They aim to accelerate asylum procedures and improve the management of applications from those unlikely to require protection. Negotiations with the European Parliament, which has also endorsed the list, will follow to agree on the final texts.

Op 3 december 2025 zal de conferentie van EMN Sweden plaatsvinden te Stockholm. De conferentie zal gaan over het tekort aan arbeidskrachten en het aantrekken van internationaal talent. Tijdens het evenement wordt gekeken naar EU- en nationale strategieën om deze uitdagingen aan te pakken en het concurrentievermogen van Europa te versterken. Beleidsmakers, experten en mensen die in het werkveld staan, zullen inzichten, goede praktijken en nieuwe onderzoeksresultaten uitwisselen.

During a session of the Chamber of Representatives’ Interior Committee on 2 December 2025, Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt outlined the government’s decision regarding the list of safe countries of origin. She specified which countries are included in the 2025 list and explained that Morocco was added due to improvements in its human rights situation and the low recognition rate for asylum applications from Moroccan nationals. 

De EMN Litouwen Conferentie zal onderzoeken hoe arbeidsmigratie- en integratiebeleid beter op elkaar kunnen worden afgestemd om tegemoet te komen aan de veranderende arbeidsmarktbehoeften in Europa. Beleidsmakers, experts en praktijkdeskundigen komen samen om manieren te bespreken om coherente en duurzame systemen voor arbeidsmigratie op te bouwen. De discussies richten zich op eerlijke behandeling, inclusie en langetermijnresultaten voor migranten. De conferentie benadrukt het belang van het verbinden van beleidsontwerp met praktische integratiemaatregelen in de hele EU. 

On 18 November, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the creation of a platform designed to facilitate the recruitment of non-European workers. The “EU Talent Pool” will connect employers established in the EU with non-EU jobseekers in sectors where Member States face labour shortages. Participation in the Talent Pool will be voluntary for Member States, and the platform will remain free of charge for both jobseekers and employers.

De EMN Slowakije Conferentie richt zich op hoe Slowakije effectieve internationale partnerschappen kan ontwikkelen om arbeidskrapte aan te pakken via eerlijke en duurzame migratie. Het evenement brengt beleidsmakers, experts, werkgevers en migrantenorganisaties uit zowel EU- als niet-EU-landen samen om goede praktijken te delen in het beheer van bilaterale arbeidsmobiliteit. Belangrijke thema’s zijn onder meer de bescherming van arbeidsmigranten, het verbeteren van coördinatie en het waarborgen dat arbeidsmigratie alle betrokken partijen ten goede komt. 

De EMN Cyprus Conferentie heeft als doel om een dialoog te bevorderen tussen beleidsmakers, experts, werkgevers, vakbonden en het maatschappelijk middenveld over hoe duurzame en effectieve migratiebeleidssystemen de veerkracht van de arbeidsmarkt kunnen ondersteunen. Het evenement zal dienen als platform om ervaringen uit te wisselen, goede praktijken te tonen en praktische richtlijnen te ontwikkelen voor beleidsmakers op nationaal en EU-niveau. 

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) is resuming the processing of applications for international protection from Syrian nationals from 1 November 2025. The suspension, in place since 9 December 2024, was implemented to gather sufficient information on the security situation in Syria.

This conference aims to facilitate discussion among authorities and experts on labour migration and the response to labour market needs through sustainable and effective migration policies on a national and EU level. Selected institutions and experts will address the labour market trends and workforce needs in Cyprus and the EU, the challenges and opportunities of legal migration pathways for Cyprus, and EU best practices.

The Flemish government has decided that third-country workers – from outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – will follow a mandatory tailored integration trajectory from 2027. The initiative, proposed by Minister Hilde Crevits, will be delivered digitally and can be started in the country of origin or within six months of arrival in Flanders. The programme provides essential information on work, rights and responsibilities, and Flemish norms and values. Certain temporary or seasonal workers, students, and holiday-work participants are excluded.