Due to a recent policy update by the Belgian Immigration Office (DVZ), family members of labor migrants will no longer receive automatic visa approvals. Instead, only certain categories of visa applicants are still eligible for issuance by the Embassy without prior approval from the Immigration Office. As a result, this change may lead to extended processing times and families being temporarily separated during the relocation process.
Restriction on simplified family reunification visa process
Until recently, Belgian diplomatic posts were permitted to automatically issue (i.e. ex officio) family reunification visas to family members of labor migrants provided all legal conditions were clearly met, without prior approval by the Immigration Office. This allowed for the simultaneous issuance of visas to both the labor migrant and their accompanying family members, ensuring that the entire family could relocate to Belgium together.
However, following concerns over the incorrect issuance of some ex officio visas, the Belgian Immigration Office has now restricted this practice. New instructions have been issued to all Belgian diplomatic posts, limiting the simplified visa process to a specific group of applicants.
According to the new instructions, the simplified ex officio visa issuance is now only permitted in the following cases:
Applicants who do not meet the above criteria, family reunification applicants must now go through the standard procedure, which typically involves a processing time up to 9 months prior to the issuance of the visa D. During this time, the main applicant can travel to Belgium immediately, as Annex 46 allows them to obtain a visa D from the diplomatic post. However, their family members must remain abroad while awaiting a decision from the Belgian Immigration Authorities. This change could result in delays in the relocation of family members, increased administrative burdens, and emotional/logistical challenges for the main applicant.
Our immigration team is here to help you adapt to these changes with minimal disruption. Feel free to reach out to us for more details in this respect.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Ajshe Miftari
Director
Silke Van Bauwel
Manager
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