Applicants for refugee status in Belgium have been told that their personal interviews at the Office of the Commissioner-General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) will go ahead as scheduled next Tuesday, even though the building could be ring-fenced by a nationwide strike and demonstration. In a notice published on 8 May, the CGRS acknowledged that public-transport services may be patchy on 12 May but urged applicants, guardians and lawyers to **“make every effort”** to attend. Anyone unable to reach the Rue Ernest Blerot offices in Brussels must inform the authority by e-mail that same day, quoting the applicant’s file number, in order to receive a new summons swiftly. The stance underscores Belgium’s determination to avoid further backlogs in a protection system already strained by near-record application volumes and the ongoing shortage of reception places. Earlier this year the government agreed emergency funding to hire 120 additional case officers after average processing times crept above ten months. From 12 June, the CGRS will also introduce new EU Asylum and Migration Pact rules, including mandatory audio-recording of interviews and broader use of accelerated procedures. Maintaining interviews on 12 May therefore prevents a last-minute bottleneck at a sensitive moment of regulatory transition. Corporate mobility teams should note that dependants of highly skilled workers sometimes enter Belgium through the asylum route before switching to family-reunification status. Any absence on 12 May without timely notification could therefore delay subsequent residence formalities and, by extension, onboarding dates for key talent.
