Belgium introduces new rules to block entry of asylum seekers

Reports indicate that asylum seekers who have previously been granted protection in another European Union member state will no longer be eligible for accommodation in Belgium.

This policy change was announced by Annelies Verlinden Van den Bossuyt, Belgium’s Minister for Asylum and Migration, as part of a package of tougher measures.

Last month, Belgium’s Federal Parliament approved a set of actions aimed at restricting access to the country’s reception network. Van den Bossuyt described the measures as necessary to address a crisis.

The first set of measures will take effect on Monday, August 4. From that date, individuals who have already received protection elsewhere in the EU will no longer be accepted into Belgium’s reception system.

“Asylum is about protection,” Van den Bossuyt said. “Those who have received this protection elsewhere in Europe should no longer have access to our shelters. The era of buying and selling asylum must come to an end.”

The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) will now fast-track cases, including applications from asylum seekers who have already been rejected in another EU member state. For these groups, their applications will be deemed inadmissible.

In 2024, about 15,000 of the roughly 40,000 asylum requests filed in Belgium came from people who had already received protection or had an ongoing application in another EU member state.

Tougher rules on family reunification

In addition, starting Monday, the right to accommodation will be revoked for asylum seekers who submit a new application through a minor child after their initial request was rejected. Van den Bossuyt claimed this was intended to prevent the use of children to prolong procedures and secure shelter.

Finally, from Monday onward, lacking accommodation will no longer make individuals eligible for subsistence income.

Van den Bossuyt — who has repeatedly emphasized her intention to enforce the strictest asylum and migration policies — also announced that even tougher rules on family reunification will come into force in mid‑August.