EU and EEC citizens living and working in the UK who wish to receive reassurance and understanding regarding their rights in the context of Brexit can access two web apps developed by The AIRE Centre about the settled status (https://www.airecentre.org/am-i-eligible-to-apply-for-settled-status) and the permanent residence (https://www.airecentre.org/do-i-have-a-permanent-right-to-reside) respectively.
The Belgian Government has taken legislative action to prepare for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU without a deal. A bill on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU was adopted on 3 April 2019 by the Federal Parliament. This law will only come into force if no agreement is reached by the day of the withdrawal. The Law of 3 April 2019 sets out temporary measures applicable until 31 December 2020.
Immigration has been at the center of the political stage in Belgium.
In December, the Prime Minister resigned after government collapses in a dispute over the signing of the UN migration pact. The right-wing Flemish party (N-VA) left the government after the PM refused its demand to drop his support for the migration pact, and secured parliamentary approval to go ahead and sign the pact on 10 December.
This year, many immigration-law reforms have been adopted and some bills are still being debated.
The changes primarily concern labor migration, such as the gradual implementation of the single permit directive and shorter real-world processing times for issuing work permits or business cards.
With regard to asylum, measures to facilitate detention and access to personal data were adopted.
The most important legislative changes in Belgium in the past year are the following :
1.1 Financial contribution for most of the residence or visa applications
As of March 2nd, 2015, the processing of some visa D applications and some residence applications require payment of a contribution either €215 (usual amount), € 160 (student and family reunification), or € 60 (long-term residents and certain family members).
Altea is the winner of the 2014 Corporate Intl Magazine Global Award :
‘Immigration Law Firm of the Year in Belgium’
