Ombudsman criticises ‘persistent’ and ‘structural’ problems within migration services

Federal Ombudsman David Baele has criticised the “persistent” and “structural” problems within the Belgian migration services regarding the processing of visa and residence applications. This is revealed in a new report examined by De Standaard. “In many cases, civil rights are not being respected,” the newspaper reported.

Last year, the ombudsman received 1,262 complaints relating to asylum and migration. This accounts for 44 per cent of all complaints. In 2023, that figure stood at 37 per cent.

Specifically, the issues relate to long – sometimes unlawfully long – processing times, inadequate information, poor accessibility, unclear communication and rejected applications that are insufficiently justified. “In many cases, these people’s civil rights are not being respected,” declared federal ombudsman David Baele in De Standaard.

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The Immigration Office (IO) acknowledges that the ombudsman has “highlighted a number of structural issues”, said spokesperson Paulien Blondeel. There are a number of reasons for this, such as an increase in the number of cases and legal complexity. New IT systems should provide a solution.

Staff shortages also play a role, Blondeel acknowledged. She emphasised that additional staff were recruited last year, although this was mainly in the return services and the international protection department. The services responsible for access to Belgian territory are also set to be strengthened shortly. Blondeel stressed that the European Migration Pact, which comes into force on Friday, will not lead to further staffing pressures: “This concerns different services.”

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A smaller proportion of the complaints also concern the Foreign Affairs ministry, which is responsible for Belgian embassies abroad. At various embassies, there appear to be waiting times of months to secure an appointment, causing cases to be hopelessly delayed or rejected by the Immigration Office because it does not receive the necessary documents on time.

The Foreign Affairs ministry stated that it “takes the report seriously”. “New visa application centres were opened in 2025 because of this,” said spokesperson Laurens Soenen. “The processes of the consular services are regularly analysed and improved.”

^{The Immigration Office © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE}