A rare public rift emerged within Belgium’s coalition cabinet on 11 October over whether to grant study visas to 13 Palestinian students from Gaza who have secured scholarships at Belgian universities. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said he had negotiated a compromise with Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt under which the students would be barred from using their stay as grounds for asylum or family-reunification applications. However, coalition partner MR rejected the deal at a core-cabinet meeting, a move Prévot criticised as “blackmail” that places the students’ future at risk. The row comes as Belgium fine-tunes its 2027 talent-attraction strategy, which includes streamlined study routes for high-potential researchers. Business and academic communities reacted quickly. The Flemish Inter-University Council warned that blocking the visas could tarnish Belgium’s reputation as an open destination for global talent. Several multinational R&D centres in Leuven and Ghent echoed those concerns, saying it could make future recruits hesitant. For global-mobility teams, the episode is a reminder that Belgian visa decisions can be subject to political volatility, even for low-risk categories like scholarship holders. Sponsors should factor potential delays into onboarding timelines and consider advance communication with immigration counsel when applicants come from sensitive regions. The core cabinet is expected to revisit the issue later this week. If agreement cannot be reached, the matter may proceed to the Council of Ministers or even trigger parliamentary questions, prolonging uncertainty for the students and their host institutions.
Source: Anadolu Agency
