On 29 June 2026 the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) unveiled upgraded practical toolkits for guardians who represent unaccompanied children in asylum and migration procedures. The manuals, check-lists and e-learning modules are designed to help guardians navigate the Asylum & Migration Management Regulation that became operational on 12 June. Belgium hosts around 2,200 unaccompanied minors, mostly from Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan. Under Belgian law, the Guardianship Service (part of the Federal Justice Department) must appoint a guardian within five days of a child’s detection, but staffing shortages mean deadlines are frequently missed. The new EUAA–FRA package offers step-by-step guidance on initial interviews, age-assessment safeguards and family-tracing – resources the Belgian Guardianship Service has pledged to integrate into its July training cycle. For employers, the release matters because delays in guardianship often stall residence permits for teenage family members of foreign assignees or refugees who later secure Belgian work authorisation. Consistent procedures can shorten overall processing times and reduce emergency accommodation costs should minors arrive ahead of their legal sponsors. The toolkit also clarifies how guardians should liaise with municipal population services and with the Immigration Office’s Single-Permit desk – a touch-point frequently cited by corporate mobility managers when planning schooling and health-care for minor dependants. Stakeholders can download the material in French, Dutch and English. The EUAA will host a webinar on 8 July to showcase national best practices; Belgian guardians are entitled to free registration.
Source: European Union Agency for Asylum
