The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) released its June 2026 dashboard on 15 July, reporting 2,914 new international-protection requests – down 6 % on May and 18 % year-on-year. Syrians remained the largest applicant group, followed by Afghans, Palestinians and Eritreans. The data confirm a downward trend that began in March after the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force, tightening border screening and accelerating Dublin transfers. CGRS attributes the fall partly to stepped-up controls along the Balkan route and new safe-country designations introduced in June. For employers, fewer asylum arrivals could translate into longer lead times for work-permit conversions because regional authorities rely on a minimum pool of recognised refugees to fill acute labour shortages, especially in construction and logistics. Mobility managers may need to broaden recruitment efforts in other talent streams, such as highly-skilled third-country nationals under the EU Blue Card. At the same time, the statistics show that 42 % of decisions in June were positive, in line with historical averages. Companies considering corporate social-responsibility hiring schemes can therefore still expect a steady—albeit smaller—pipeline of candidates with the right to work. The CGRS reminds stakeholders that the new rules now mandate video-recorded interviews and accelerated procedures for manifestly unfounded claims, potentially cutting processing times by several weeks. Stakeholders should monitor the July report closely; if the dip continues, Belgian federal planners may revise reception-capacity forecasts, reinforcing measures such as the recent cuts in Brussels accommodation centres.
