The Belgian Council of Ministers approved a draft bill on 2 July that will make it harder for economically inactive EU citizens to secure long-term residence in Belgium. Under the proposal from Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt, EU nationals who register in Belgium as ‘jobseekers’ will have to provide two proofs of active job-hunting (registration with the regional employment service and concrete applications) when they apply for a temporary residence card.
After six months they will face a mandatory performance review: only those who can demonstrate a “realistic chance” of finding work – through interviews, training certificates or new applications – will retain their right of residence. Those who cannot will lose their EU registration and access to social benefits.
Family-reunification files that are incomplete at submission will be deemed inadmissible, ending the long-standing practice of supplementing missing documents later.
Van Bossuyt argues the reform closes a loophole that allows some EU citizens to obtain residence and then fall back on Belgian welfare.
In 2025 the Immigration Office issued 1,266 EU residence cards to jobseekers but also revoked 202 and refused 705 applications.
The new two-step filter is expected to reduce approvals by a third and shift resources to faster labour-market integration for genuinely active candidates.
Local authorities and HR departments of multinational companies will feel the immediate impact.
For individuals and companies that need practical help navigating Belgium’s new compliance hurdles, VisaHQ provides online tools, document checklists and expert guidance. Its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest forms and requirements, helping applicants assemble acceptable proof of job-seeking activity and avoid costly refusals.
Municipal offices – which handle the initial registration – will need additional training and IT upgrades to run the second-stage assessment.
Employers that sponsor intra-EU transferees or hire graduates on a ‘jobseeker’ basis must now build six-month milestones into relocation policies and advise newcomers on acceptable proof of labour-market activity.
Because the rule change is embedded in a broader migration package aligned with the new EU Pact on Asylum and Migration, it is likely to pass Parliament after the summer recess and enter into force early 2027.
Mobility managers should therefore audit current EU-national assignees in Belgium and prepare coaching programmes to help them pass the upcoming six-month test.
After six months they will face a mandatory performance review: only those who can demonstrate a “realistic chance” of finding work – through interviews, training certificates or new applications – will retain their right of residence. Those who cannot will lose their EU registration and access to social benefits.
Family-reunification files that are incomplete at submission will be deemed inadmissible, ending the long-standing practice of supplementing missing documents later.
Van Bossuyt argues the reform closes a loophole that allows some EU citizens to obtain residence and then fall back on Belgian welfare.
In 2025 the Immigration Office issued 1,266 EU residence cards to jobseekers but also revoked 202 and refused 705 applications.
The new two-step filter is expected to reduce approvals by a third and shift resources to faster labour-market integration for genuinely active candidates.
Local authorities and HR departments of multinational companies will feel the immediate impact.
For individuals and companies that need practical help navigating Belgium’s new compliance hurdles, VisaHQ provides online tools, document checklists and expert guidance. Its Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest forms and requirements, helping applicants assemble acceptable proof of job-seeking activity and avoid costly refusals.
Municipal offices – which handle the initial registration – will need additional training and IT upgrades to run the second-stage assessment.
Employers that sponsor intra-EU transferees or hire graduates on a ‘jobseeker’ basis must now build six-month milestones into relocation policies and advise newcomers on acceptable proof of labour-market activity.
Because the rule change is embedded in a broader migration package aligned with the new EU Pact on Asylum and Migration, it is likely to pass Parliament after the summer recess and enter into force early 2027.
Mobility managers should therefore audit current EU-national assignees in Belgium and prepare coaching programmes to help them pass the upcoming six-month test.
