|
Austria |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The UK and Northern Ireland were added to the list of safe countries of origin. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Austria |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
Withdrawal procedures remained a priority for the BFA. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Austria |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Austria's new coalition government announced in January 2020 in its programme for the new government (2020-2024) to work on a comprehensive strategy on migration, based on a clear separation of migration and asylum. The programme foresees shortening and modernising asylum procedures. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The CGRS continued training protection officers and supervisors who were joining the minors team, and informative sessions were organised to all new protection officers. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
The CGRS in Belgium continued to give refugee status to minor girls with a well-founded fear of persecution due to female genital mutilation, but parents were no longer granted derived refugee status automatically and needed to submit a separate request for regularisation. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
The Belgian CALL announced that from March 2022 procedural documents can be submitted online. Documents can be sent electronically via J-box, an alternative to traditional registered mail, and for an appeal in a special procedure, this option replaced the traditional submission by fax. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS published updates on the processing of applications filed by Palestinians. For Palestinians for whom a particular individual well-founded fear of persecution is not established and who depend on assistance from the UNRWA, it must be checked if the individual can still count on assistance from the UNRWA. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The Council of Ministers adopted the draft royal decree establishing a list of safe countries of origin. The draft did not include any changes to the list of safe countries from the previous year. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Belgium |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
Applicants had to book an appointment online for their registration between April and October 2020. The first instance tribunal of Brussels ruled that this practice was against the law, hence from 30 October 2020 registration in person started again at the arrival centre, without prior appointment. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS fully resumed the assessment of asylum claims lodged by Afghan applicants. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Guardianship Service continued with an AMIF-funded project to develop a methodology for monitoring guardians and the assessment of the best interests of minors and worked on improving communications with all stakeholders. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Netherlands and Belgium concluded an agreement to replace PCR tests by a quarantine before departure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
A new reception facility opened to accommodate a group of applicants in the Dublin procedure, managed by the Immigration Office in collaboration with Fedasil. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
Belgium formally pledged to introduce a residence permit for stateless persons during the UN High Level Officials Meeting event taking place under the Global Refugee Forum. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Persons already benefitting from international protection in another EU Member State no longer receive material reception conditions. Dublin applicants who absconded and re-applied for reception after six months were also no longer entitled to material reception conditions. Fedasil evaluates these rejections on a case-by-case basis, taking into account any specific vulnerabilities of the applicant. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Reception capacity was significantly increased throughout 2021, reaching 30,000 places in February 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The government announced its intention to create a separate right of residence through family reunification for parents of children who are recognised beneficiaries of international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
The government pledged to resettle 500 refugees and to admit 125 people under humanitarian admission programmes. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Institutional |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration announced that it considered plans to merge the Immigration Office, the CGRS and Fedasil. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
Fedasil launched a multi-lingual information platform for applicants for international protection, www.fedasilinfo.be, accessible only from Belgium and available in 12 languages. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2019 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Fedasil and the Red Cross established an agreement with the Flemish Integration and Civic Integration Agency to notify the public of the opening of any new reception centre and the agency would appoint a liaison officer to support the local administration in addressing residents. |
EASO Asylum Report 2020 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
A new feature of the online web application, Match-IT, was rolled out to document social aspects of an applicant. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Country of origin information |
CEDOCA developed a new training programme on COI through an online tutorial. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Belgium |
2020 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
A new community sponsorship programme was activated and the first families arrived to Belgium through this programme at the end of 2020. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
CALL launched a digital tool on 1 March 2022, entitled J-BOX, to exchange procedural documents electronically instead of using registered mail. The use of the tool became mandatory in appeals for accelerated and urgent measures. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |