“Up to 12,000 undocumented migrants in Antwerp”: many living in deplorable conditions

It is estimated that some 112,000 undocumented migrants are living in Belgium according to figures from Johan Surkyn, demographer at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). Their number in Antwerp was unclear until now. "In Antwerp, it is estimated at between 5,000 and 12,000," says Tom Meeuws (Socialist/Vooruit), alderman for social affairs. "It’s a particularly diverse group and everyone has his or her own story. We work with the Immigration Department, Fedasil, the welfare sector and various civil society organisations as well as we can to examine together with these people whether their future lies here or in their country of origin."

At the Antwerp-based not-for-profit organisation Filet Divers, activities are organised to give people living in poverty greater opportunities.  Undocumented migrants also routinely turn up visit. 190 of the 600 files dealt with in 2022 involved people without a legal residence permit. "That number has remained fairly stable in recent years," explains Yves Bocklandt, coordinator at Filet Divers. "Some of them are supported by relatives, who do have legal residence here, but often to earn money they end up in poor working conditions."

Undocumented migrants often live in deplorable conditions and they are often taken advantage of, Filet Divers notes. "When they carry out unregistered work, they are often paid incredibly little or sometimes nothing at all," Bocklandt continues. "They are employed in construction or at the back of bakeries. They rarely contact the official services to report abuse or malpractice. Landlords know this and take advantage of it."

Last Friday, Flemish Housing Minister Matthias Diependaele (Nationalist/N-VA) told VRT that he wants to amend housing legislation to ensure that people without residence permits find it more difficult to rent.

Bocklandt says this is a bad idea. "People without legal residence should be able to look to the future and getting housing is part of the beginning. Politicians need to face reality and not think they can just send these people back. That won't work." Filet Divers expects greater cooperation from Antwerp city council, to see what the problems and how they can be solved.

Specifically, in winter shelters for the homeless, the city of Antwerp creates 400 places for people without legal residence. In addition, the  city authorities do their best to provide a follow-up for people. "They do need to understand that staying here without legal papers means danger," says alderman Meeuws.

"It is not possible to work here legally, so they do casual work, are paid in hand and are exploited. Sometimes they also end up in the criminal circuit to get money. They then get the cheapest housing, often in poor condition and owned by slum landlords. Such a situation is unsustainable for everyone. That is why we are trying to stimulate a discussion."

Future prospects

Often, undocumented migrants end up at Antwerp’s Migration Advisory Centre (ACM). There, they can put all their questions. "We first listen to these people's story," says Grietje Cant, team coordinator at ACM. "Then we check what options they still have to apply for legal residence here."

Where these people stay during that undocumented period varies widely. "There are a lot of 'couch surfers', people who stay with a friend or family overnight even for a few weeks," Cant says. "That is a very difficult group to reach because they are often not in the figures. Some do have enough money from casual labour and rent their own flats. Many are homeless."

Undocumented migrants cannot go just anywhere. "They can use the winter shelters and day centres," says Grietje Cant. "There is also a team ready to provide all medical care. Local social services also help out. But these are all band-aids on festering wounds. We search for long-term solutions. We can't keep just giving people the message that they can't stay, when, for their own safety, they can't go back.  At ACM, most undocumented migrants come from Eastern Europe, North Africa or Afghanistan.

In several places in Flanders, social services already run a project to help with the reception and orientation of undocumented migrants who want to work on their future prospects. This project will soon also involve the creation of a reception centre for 15 people in Antwerp.