From 1 September, people from outside the EU settling in Flanders will be obliged to take a new, compulsory standardised Dutch language test. The Flemish government is pressing ahead with the changes despite criticism from the education field and a warning from Belgium’s constitutional court.
Non-EU newcomers are obliged to attend integration courses when they settle in Flanders. In Brussels the courses are still voluntary. Students follow the course "Dutch as a second language", known as "NT2", at 113 locations across Flanders. Until now, the Centres for Adult Education, the CVOs and the ‘Ligo Centres’ for Basic Education, the CBEs each had their own training and their own Dutch language tests, but from September onwards, all non-native speakers have to take a standardised test.
The result of that test has legal consequences. Among other things, it helps determine whether someone is entitled to social housing.