Belgium will soon link refugee benefits to integration efforts as part of a broader crackdown on illegal migration and asylum abuse, Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt has confirmed.
Under the plan, recognized refugees will continue to receive full social benefits, but payments could be cut if they fail to learn the language or look for work. People with subsidiary or temporary protection—such as many Ukrainians—will start with lower payments but can earn “integration bonuses” by completing language courses or training programs.
The reform was promised in the federal coalition deal and comes alongside tougher asylum measures, including the closure of reception centres to migrants already protected elsewhere in the EU and a target of cutting migration costs by €1.6 billion by 2029. Van Bossuyt argues Belgium must stop being a “magnet” for asylum seekers and crack down on what she calls “asylum shopping.”
In July, Belgium reintroduced internal border checks on buses, flights, and major roads from France, Italy, and Greece, following similar moves in Germany and the Netherlands. The government insists the checks are needed to prevent secondary migration.
Meanwhile, Brussels is challenging Europe’s top courts after rulings blocked deportations of failed asylum seekers. Former Constitutional Court president Marc Bossuyt has accused the European Court of Human Rights and the EU’s own Court of Justice of “tying governments’ hands” and called for stricter limits on judicial intervention.
Van Bossuyt said regional governments will be responsible for integration checks, with talks already held in Wallonia and Flanders and Brussels next on the agenda.
