Waiting list reduced: 1,200 asylum-seekers have left the reception center in recent months | internal

The asylum waiting list has fallen to fewer than 3,000 people. CD&V Secretary of State de Moore attributes the decline to a combination of higher inflow from reception and somewhat lower inflow.

With regard to the outflow, the Secretary of State indicates a number of accelerated measures. This concerns, for example, the influx of asylum seekers who, due to work, can stand on their feet. As a result of this measure, working asylum seekers have left the reception desk since December. In December there were 90, the first months of this year 253.

In addition, there is stricter monitoring of people who have been in the shelter for more than three years. The aim is to speed up these procedures so that asylum seekers can stream in. 896 people have already left the shelter this way since January.

De Moor also notes the impact of hiring additional staff at the Commissioner-General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS). Since last summer, more than 70 additional employees have been hired. Additional staff and faster procedures also mean more decisions can be made. The number of decisions increased in recent months to 2,677 in March and 2,463 in April, compared to an average of 2,000 decisions in 2022.

In addition to the outward flow, there is of course also the inward flow. According to the CD&V Secretary of State, the intention is to “play fast”. For example, there has been a sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers in Moldova, with more than 120 applications in March. “Thanks to the rapid processing of these applications and prevention, the number of applications was halved in April. Moldovans almost have a chance of obtaining asylum in our country,” explains de Moor.