Last year 20,724 people from outside the EU were granted visas to come to Belgium through the family reunification procedure. That is the highest number in more than 10 years. Negotiators working on a new Belgian government are discussing tightening the conditions for family reunification. However, these are already strict. ‘The procedure cost us thousands of euros and caused me stress every day’ says one applicant.
More refugees, more family reunification applications
1 in 4 visas were given to family members of a refugee last year. A total of 5,700 were counted, 2,000 more than in 2023.
The increase is due to more asylum seekers arriving in Belgium three years in a row now. More people were also recognised as refugees. People granted protection are allowed to stay in Belgium and can start the family reunification procedure to bring a partner and/or minors to Belgium.
A total of 20,724 people from outside the EU were granted visas for family reunion last year, figures from the Immigration Department show.
In love with a Belgian
Another important group are relatives of migrant workers. People come to work in Belgium at the request of an employer and do not want to live separately from their families.
In addition, Belgians can also apply for relatives from outside the EU to come here. This may be a child from a relationship with someone who is not an EU citizen. Or a Belgian may fall in love with someone from outside the EU and the couple want to live together.
Last year, 6,000 people received a visa to come here to live with a Belgian. There has also been an increase in this group. 2 years ago, the figure was about 5,000 people.
Proof must be provided
Getting a family member to come and live here via family reunification doesn’t happen just like that. In Belgium, for instance, the applicant must have a stable income higher than 120 per cent of the living wage (i.e. minimum subsistence benefit), as well as a home large enough.
Refugees are given an exception from this rule during the first year their residence permit is valid. If they do not complete the application in time, the strict conditions apply.
Obviously, applicants must also prove that these people are indeed their partner, child or parent. One way to do this is through a marriage or a birth certificate. ‘Those documents did not suffice in our case. We all also had to have a DNA test,’ applicant Ikram says.
Costly paperwork and not easy to get hold of!
And a medical certificate is also mandatory, certifying that the relative travelling to Belgium is in good health. ‘The nearest doctor recognised by the Belgian embassy who could issue that certificate was in Calcutta. Almost 1,000 km from where my husband lived,’ says Luc, another applicant.
‘All documents also had to be legalised, ‘certified true copy’ is what it's called in Belgium. But they don't know what that is in India. In the end, there turned out to be a single government office that could provide the specific stamp. The office is in New Delhi, 2,000 km away.’
‘Costing thousands of euros’
Applying for all these documents, having them translated by a sworn interpreter and legalised costs money. ‘For the DNA tests alone, we had to pay around 3,000 euros,’ says Ikram.
‘In addition, the travel costs were also very high. My family had to go to Pakistan to submit their application for family reunification because there is no embassy in Afghanistan. A visa to travel to Pakistan costs about 1,000 euros per person!’