The Office of the Commissioner-General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has told asylum applicants that scheduled personal interviews on 9 and 12 October will go ahead despite the national strike—and has outlined contingency measures for those unable to travel. In a notice published on 7 October, the CGRS acknowledges that rail operator SNCB, Brussels public-transport company STIB, and regional bus services De Lijn and TEC all expect serious service reductions. Applicants, guardians, lawyers and support organisations are urged to make “every effort” to attend interviews, but if transport proves impossible they must notify the CGRS dispatch centre by email on the same day, quoting name and file number. The office promises to reschedule missed appointments promptly. Failure to inform the CGRS can lead to a case being closed for non-co-operation, potentially jeopardising protection status. The guidance matters for multinational employers that sponsor humanitarian or family-reunification cases: missed asylum-procedure deadlines can ripple into work-authorisation timelines and social-security registration. Mobility teams should contact employees or family members in the asylum process to ensure they have back-up transport arrangements and understand the notification requirement. The CGRS reminder comes as Belgium implements new EU asylum-procedure rules—introduced on 12 June 2026—that tighten timelines and increase use of accelerated decisions. Against that backdrop, any delay caused by industrial action could have higher stakes for applicants. By communicating early, the CGRS aims to balance procedural efficiency with fairness during nationwide industrial unrest. It also demonstrates how non-transport agencies must increasingly plan for mobility disruptions when managing time-critical public services.
