More asylum applications in 2024, Palestinians top the list

By historic comparisons the number of asylum applications in Belgium remained high last year. In 2024, 33,146 new asylum seekers arrived in the kingdom. That is 12 per cent more than in 2023, but still less than during the asylum crisis in 2015.

These asylum seekers filed their first request for protection last year. That request is examined by the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS). In 56 per cent of the cases examined, the asylum seeker could prove that he or she came from a war zone or was at risk of personal persecution because of race, religion, belonging to a particular social group or their political or sexual preference.

Where do the applicants come from?

Asylum seekers hail from countries scattered around the world.  There are more than 100 different nationalities. From some countries, like Vietnam, there are only a few applicants. From other countries there are many more e.g. from Russia, Venezuela or Somalia.

Five countries of origin stand out. They account for half of the asylum seekers newly arriving in Belgium. In brackets find the recognition rate, the percentage of asylum applications approved in 2024.

    Palestinians (96%)

    Syrians (92%)

    Eritreans (95%)

    Turks (49.5%)

    Afghans (45%)

All these people come from countries experiencing protracted conflicts or that are involved in wars. The vast majority of their compatriots who have also fled remain in neighbouring countries. Only a small proportion flee further afield, to the EU. The Turks are mostly people who fear persecution because of their links to the Gülen movement.

Figures fluctuate over the year(s)

There are big fluctuations with regard to nationality. Take Afghans. In 2022, a few months after the Taliban took the capital Kabul, 5,762 asylum-seeking Afghans arrived. That number halved the following year and continued to fall to 1,868 in 2024.

The number of Palestinians from Gaza rose steadily in recent years. In 2021, there were 1,198; that number doubled the following year. In 2023, the number rose further to 2,963 to almost double to 5,332 last year.

In 2022, there was a sudden rise in Turkish asylum seekers to 1,618 and that figure continued to rise to 2,402 the following year. In 2024, the number fell again to 1,997.

Overall asylum figures also fluctuate from year to year and are difficult to predict. There are numerous factors at play. Moreover, the fluctuations are not the same in every country. In 2024, the total number of asylum applications in the EU declined; the year before, that figure rose. Belgium saw an opposite trend in that period. It was the same in Italy, Ireland and Greece.

There are also big differences month by month. The pattern is erratic.

Rejected Afghans try with a new application

In 2024, on top of new asylum seekers, there were also 6,469 asylum applications from people whose previous asylum application had been rejected earlier. The figure includes many Afghans (1,673), who hope to be recognised as refugees via their subsequent application.

The possibility for a second or even multiple asylum applications exists because new elements may emerge: better evidence can be provided or the situation changed. Sometimes asylum seekers do not originally dare to prove the real reason for their flight in their first application: think of genital mutilation or persecution on account of sexual preference, which may be a big taboo in the country of origin.

Not all asylum requests are examined

Almost half of all  asylum seekers last year had already been fingerprinted in another EU country. Asylum applications should be made and processed in the first EU state applicants visit.

‘The European Migration Pact gives us more possibilities to counter that kind of secondary migration,’ says the outgoing Belgian asylum and migration secretary Nicole de Moor. ‘The number of asylum applications in Belgium has to come down substantially. We need to continue with structural reforms and I hope the new government will implement strong new policies.’

The number of recognised refugees reapplying for asylum in Belgium has also risen to 4,825. These are Syrians and Palestinians who already enjoy protection in countries like Greece or Bulgaria. De Moor wants to counter that trend. ‘They already have protection in these countries and are able to reside and work there legally.’

Reception crisis and excessively long procedures

Last year, thousands of single male asylum seekers were again denied a bed, a bath, food and counselling by Fedasil, the Belgian asylum reception agency. Although they are entitled to shelter, people ended up on the streets for the 4th year in a row.

That’s despite the fact Belgium has never had so many shelters for asylum seekers: 36,200 places. Fedasil created more than 500 extra beds last year. But the case backlog at the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) is not getting cleared. By the end of 2024, that backlog stood at 19,600 files. A ‘particularly high figure’, the Office of the Commissioner General concedes.

Because of the backlog, it takes months, sometimes years, for asylum seekers to get a decision on their asylum applications. All that time, they fill a reception place. At the same time the number of new asylum seekers has risen for 3 years in a row. More people enter the reception network, than leave.

Thanks to accelerated procedures and recruitment of extra staff, the Offfice of the Commissioner General took a record number of decisions on asylum cases (34,052) last year. But ‘with the current influx, it is clear that in addition to internal efficiency measures, additional staff are needed to clear the backlog’ the office says.