Hot topic: migration
In four mini-series, Nieuwsblad explores the most important themes of the elections. Today: the ‘profile’ of the migrant in Flanders.
1.5 million inhabitants of Belgium are legally non-Belgians, i.e. foreigners. In percentages: 13 percent. Most of them – more than 962,000 – are EU citizens. That leaves another 521,000 who come from outside European borders. (Continue reading below the graph)
If you delve a little deeper into the figures, a clear top 5 emerges. The largest group of foreigners in our country comes from France. On January 1, 2023 – the most recent date in the statistics of the Immigration Office (DVZ) – there were 163,789. The Dutch are in second place with 159,088 people. Then follow the Italians (147,180) and the Romanians (114,105). Only in fifth place does the first non-EU country appear: Morocco, with 78,510 people with a valid residence permit.
Migration chaos
What do these people come here to do? The DVZ gives “family” as the main reason for residence, accounting for 661,934 of the valid residence documents. Nearly 410,000 live here to work. After that, the statistics get a bit murky. 129,000 are here for “other” reasons. (Continue reading below the graph)
But in the political debate the focus is much narrower than those large groups. When the parties complain about the ‘migration chaos’ and related issues, they are usually not talking about the French, the Dutch and the Italians. This mainly concerns the people who arrive here on their own – or with the help of human smugglers – and who we know from the long queues for the Klein Kasteeltje in Brussels. In 2023, the Immigration Department reported 35,507 applications for international protection. This is considerably higher than in, say, 2019, when 27,784 people turned up in Belgium, but still less than in the full asylum crisis of 2015. At that time, the Immigration Department clocked in at 44,760 applications. (Read more below the photo)
When the parties complain about the migration chaos and related issues, they are usually not talking about the French, the Dutch and the Italians. — © Kristof Vadino
Fair share
It is certainly true that Belgium does proportionately more than would happen if there was a fair distribution across Europe. Our country has 2.6 percent of the total European population, but accommodates 4 percent of asylum seekers. And although Fedasil has room to accommodate 35,385 asylum seekers, State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) has announced a reception stop for single men. 3,900 people are on the waiting list and have to survive on the street or in the Brussels homeless shelter. A situation for which Belgium has been condemned thousands of times, but which cannot be resolved.
READ ALSO. How do the Flemish parties tackle asylum and migration? “No more ‘bébé paper’”
Belgium does not really have much control over the reason for departure. The top 3 all have countries in the grip of war. 4,227 Syrians, 3,718 Afghans and 3,249 Palestinians applied for asylum in our country. Not all of those people can stay in Belgium. According to the figures from the General Commissioner for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), 43.5 percent are officially granted refugee status or subsidiary protection. A figure that has been stable for about three years. (Continue reading below the graph)
Anyway, just because those people are officially not allowed to stay here, doesn’t mean that Belgium is actually able to deport them. Because the policy is also at a standstill on the return side. Asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies receive an order to leave the territory, but many of them pay little attention to this. Last year, the DVZ managed to remove a total of 6,099 asylum seekers who had exhausted all legal remedies from the territory. That has been better in the past. In 2017, the counter stood at 11,065 removals. The corona crisis knocked the bottom out of the removals. In 2020, the numbers collapsed completely to 4,895. The corona crisis then stood in the way of repatriations for months. Judging from the figures, normalcy has still not completely recovered. (Read more below the photo)
The country of origin must also be prepared to take those people back. It is not without reason that half the federal government descended on the Moroccan capital Rabat in April. — © BELGA
The reasons why deportations are so difficult are numerous. The country of origin must also be prepared to take those people back. It is not without reason that half the federal government descended on the Moroccan capital Rabat in April. A real return agreement did not result, but it helps to accelerate certain files, they swear within the government.
Irremovable
And in any case, legal rules play a major role. It is not possible to send someone back to a country where they risk persecution. This is called the ‘non-refoulement principle’ in the jargon. It leads to strange situations. 56 percent of all Afghan migrants in Belgium do not receive protection. However, Afghanistan is not a safe country in any respect. These people are not allowed to stay in Belgium, but they cannot be sent back either. They are “irremovable persons”. The new migration code was supposed to provide a solution to this, but it was not voted on. (read more below the graph)
By definition, it is difficult to say how many people are staying on Belgian territory without a residence permit. It is estimated that 120,000 people are involved. The population of a city like Bruges. Deporting them will always be difficult.
READ ALSO. Return policy approved despite N-VA and Vlaams Belang protests, but MSF and Doctors of the World concerned about “damage to health”
PVDA - We stop the military interventions from which millions of people still flee today, such as the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya or support for the Israeli war in Gaza. Our foreign policy is focused on diplomacy and peace negotiations
- We take strict action against all forms of social dumping where foreign workers are used to work under Belgian wage and employment conditions
- We are introducing a truly solidarity-based distribution plan for asylum seekers across all countries of the European Union, so that every Member State contributes
- We will put an end to the permanent shortage of asylum reception facilities by providing sufficient reserve reception places
- We ensure that every asylum seeker has the right to a serious examination of their asylum application, with respect for the Geneva Convention
GREEN - Fast and transparent asylum procedures. After a maximum of 6 months, someone should know whether they can stay or should return
- An enforceable European dispersal mechanism for the reception of people on the move, through a reform of the Dublin Convention
- Removing unjust barriers to family reunification, so that fewer families are torn apart
- Better support people in illegal residence towards a sustainable perspective: right of residence or return
- No detention of children and vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, people with disabilities and victims of human trafficking
VLAAMS BELANG - The reception of asylum seekers in your own region
- Restricting family reunification through, among other things, higher income requirements and an integration exam
- Reducing the influx of asylum seekers by, among other things, expanding the list of ‘safe countries’ and a maximum contribution from asylum seekers to the costs of reception
- Labor migration only for highly educated profiles, preferably from Western countries
- Organize a referendum on immigration
OPEN VLD - Less influx by better monitoring Europe’s external borders. There it is already checked whether applications are admissible at all
- Belgium concludes migration deals with countries of origin via the EU
- Trade agreements, development cooperation and the issuance of visas are linked to the willingness of countries of origin to take back their compatriots
- Conditions for family reunification severely tightened. Living and working in Belgium for two years and therefore contributing. Access to social security is built up gradually
- Shelter must always take place in humane conditions. “We do not accept that people have to sleep on the street while awaiting a decision in their asylum procedure.”
CD&V - We are working on the realization of the new European asylum and migration pact: stricter controls at the external borders, rapid border procedures and a mandatory distribution of asylum seekers between the Member States
- We are drastically shortening the procedures through the new migration code
- A stricter return policy with coercive measures such as house arrest, detention infrastructure and a legal framework for residential entry
- We link return policy to sanctions for countries of origin: restrictions in the areas of labor migration, development cooperation and visa granting
- We are stricter on family reunification: by focusing on the actual care relationship with a child, we put an end to the phenomenon of ‘bébé papier’
FORWARD - Countries that do not want to take back their nationals should not count on trade agreements or labor and study migration to our country, and cannot receive visa exemptions
- There must be a unified European asylum procedure with mandatory solidarity and balanced distribution between the Member States
- After a rejection (even in another EU country), a new asylum application can no longer be submitted
- There must be a persistent return policy. For those who do not wish to return voluntarily, residential entry and detention should be possible
- Family reunification must be viewed more critically because integration is progressing poorly. The income requirement for those who have family transferred must be increased
N-VA - The N-VA advocates the externalization of the asylum procedure. Shelter and protection are organized outside European borders, in your own region
- The absolute priority of the return policy is to return criminal illegal immigrants. We are also introducing a lifelong entry ban for serious criminals and terrorists
- Anyone who enters Europe illegally loses any chance of legal residence in the European Union. Those who do try will be rescued and sent back to a safe reception facility outside the EU
- We are further tightening the conditions for family reunification – also for refugees: we are raising the income limit and adjusting it depending on the number of people and imposing additional integration obligations for both the applicant and the sponsor.
- We implement fast and efficient fast track procedures for top profiles that we want to attract at all costs in ‘the war for talent’
