Record number of asylum applications in Belgium in 2024
Asylum applications in Belgium reached their highest level since 2015 last year, with almost 40,000 people seeking international protection. Notably, the number of applications from Palestinians saw a sharp increase.
The number of applications soared to 39,615 in 2024, the highest figure since the 2015 refugee crisis and an increase of nearly 12 per cent on 2023. October alone saw 4,383 applications, marking the most significant monthly surge in nearly a decade.
Key countries of origin included Palestine, Syria, Eritrea and Turkey. Applications from Palestinians rose sharply by 74 per cent, while Syrian applications increased by 33 per cent.
Secondary migration
Outgoing secretary of state for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor highlighted the issue of secondary migration, where asylum seekers who have already registered in another EU country travel on to Belgium. Nearly half of all asylum applicants last year had been registered elsewhere in Europe.
De Moor stressed the need for reforms under the European Migration Pact to curb this trend: “We must make it clear that reapplying in Belgium after a decision in another EU country is futile.”
Overwhelmed
Despite a record 34,052 decisions issued by Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons in 2024, the system remains overwhelmed. At the end of the year, more than 26,000 cases were still pending, similar to 2023 but more than double the backlog recorded in 2021.
This backlog has exacerbated the shelter crisis, leaving thousands of single male asylum seekers without access to basic provisions such as accommodation and food.
Asylum seekers without accommodation sleep in a building in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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