During its electronic meeting on 18 September, Belgium’s Council of Ministers approved a draft Royal Decree that will increase the number of clerks (griffiers) at the Raad voor Vreemdelingenbetwistingen (Council for Immigration Disputes, RVV) from 14 to 18—marking the first staffing expansion of the court since 2015. The measure, tabled by Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt, now proceeds to the Council of State for urgent advice. The RVV is the final administrative instance for appeals against visa refusals, residence-permit withdrawals and other migration decisions. Since 2015 the number of magistrates serving on the bench has almost doubled—from 34 to 62—without a parallel rise in clerical support. As a result, junior lawyers and administrative assistants have been diverted from substantive case preparation to fulfil clerk duties, slowing throughput and increasing error risk. For employers sponsoring non-EU talent, the backlog has become a pinch point: delayed rulings on work-permit denials or family-reunification cases can leave key staff in limbo and expose companies to compliance penalties. According to industry group Federgon, average processing times for complex appeals have stretched to 11 months—well beyond the EU “reasonable time” standard. Officials expect the four additional griffiers to allow each clerk to support three to four judges instead of five, accelerating drafting of written decisions and reducing postponements. The expansion is modest but symbolically important. Belgium is rolling out ambitious reforms—from the new Entry/Exit System to revised economic-migration quotas—but those measures depend on timely, legally robust adjudication. Stakeholders had feared that chronic under-resourcing would undercut the intent of the reforms. With federal elections looming in 2027, the government is eager to demonstrate progress on migration management without appearing overly permissive. Practically, multinationals should still plan for several months of lead time when appeals are possible, but the RVV’s docket may ease gradually from early 2027 if the decree enters into force this winter. Legal advisers recommend that companies continue to file fully documented applications to head off disputes, while monitoring forthcoming budget talks that could unlock further digitalisation funding for the court.
Source: News.belgium
