The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on 30 June 2026 released its seventh update to the ‘Country Guidance: Afghanistan’ – the first issued under the new Qualification Regulation that entered into force on 12 June. Although drafted for all EU Member States, the non-binding guidance is routinely applied by Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) when adjudicating asylum claims. The document reconfirms that Afghan women and girls “are generally at risk of persecution”, echoing recent Court of Justice case-law. It also highlights heightened danger for journalists, human-rights defenders, and people accused of blasphemy, while noting rising indiscriminate violence along the Pakistan border and in Kabul. Crucially, the EUAA again concludes that an Internal Protection Alternative within Afghanistan is “generally not available”, narrowing the grounds on which Belgian case-workers might refuse status.
![EU asylum agency updates Afghanistan guidance, impacting Belgian protection decisions]()
For applicants and employers alike who need practical support with Belgium-bound travel paperwork, VisaHQ offers an efficient one-stop interface for visa information, document validation, and application submission; its Belgium page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) is updated in real time and can dovetail neatly with the strategic advice given by asylum or immigration counsel.
In 2025 Afghan nationals lodged roughly 117,000 asylum applications EU-wide, including over 3,800 in Belgium – the kingdom’s second-largest caseload after Syrians. Belgium’s first-instance recognition rate for Afghans stood at 71 %; immigration lawyers expect that figure to climb after the new guidance, particularly for women’s cases and repeat applicants. Corporate mobility teams sponsoring Afghan employees under Belgium’s Special Residence Programme (created in 2022 for evacuees) should note that dependants’ visa processing may accelerate as CGRS aligns with the guidance. Conversely, employers relying on single-permit recruits from Afghanistan may face longer screening times as security and vulnerability assessments deepen. The EUAA urges Member States to “take due account” of the analysis, but Belgium traditionally goes further, embedding the guidance in its own interpretative circulars. HR and immigration advisers should watch for an updated CGRS instruction in the coming weeks and adjust compliance check-lists accordingly.
For applicants and employers alike who need practical support with Belgium-bound travel paperwork, VisaHQ offers an efficient one-stop interface for visa information, document validation, and application submission; its Belgium page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) is updated in real time and can dovetail neatly with the strategic advice given by asylum or immigration counsel.
In 2025 Afghan nationals lodged roughly 117,000 asylum applications EU-wide, including over 3,800 in Belgium – the kingdom’s second-largest caseload after Syrians. Belgium’s first-instance recognition rate for Afghans stood at 71 %; immigration lawyers expect that figure to climb after the new guidance, particularly for women’s cases and repeat applicants. Corporate mobility teams sponsoring Afghan employees under Belgium’s Special Residence Programme (created in 2022 for evacuees) should note that dependants’ visa processing may accelerate as CGRS aligns with the guidance. Conversely, employers relying on single-permit recruits from Afghanistan may face longer screening times as security and vulnerability assessments deepen. The EUAA urges Member States to “take due account” of the analysis, but Belgium traditionally goes further, embedding the guidance in its own interpretative circulars. HR and immigration advisers should watch for an updated CGRS instruction in the coming weeks and adjust compliance check-lists accordingly.
