Belgium’s Migration Services ‘Too Slow, Complex’: Ombudsman
Belgium’s Federal Ombudsman has issued a damning special report on the country’s migration services, accusing the Office for Foreigners (DVZ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of systemic failures that leave thousands of applicants trapped in prolonged uncertainty. The report, titled “Too Slow, Too Complex, Too Opaque,” was submitted to Parliament and the relevant ministers on Monday, June 8, 2026.
According to La Libre Belgique, migration-related complaints now account for nearly half of all admissible complaints received by the Ombudsman — 44% in 2025, up from 36.54% in 2023 and 43.23% in 2024. In absolute terms, the office registered a record 10,461 dossiers last year, including 6,269 complaints and 4,192 information requests.
A Pattern of Persistent Failures
The Federal Ombudsman identifies five recurring categories of complaints: excessively long processing times, inadequate communication, poor accessibility, insufficient justification for rejected applications, and a lack of consideration for personal circumstances and fundamental rights.
Federal Ombudsman David Baele said the office has been dealing with the same structural problems for years. “For every problem people contacted us about in recent years, we played our role as ombudsman and entered into dialogue with the responsible administration,” Baele stated. “But after every resolved individual problem, we receive another complaint, about the same problem. And so it goes for years.”
Baele added that the office has stopped handling some complaints individually because the volume has become unmanageable. “The migration services are making efforts to improve the situation, but this is not enough. We urgently request structural interventions.”
Procedural ‘Ping-Pong’ Traps Applicants
One of the most troubling issues highlighted in the report is what the Ombudsman calls “procedural ping-pong” or “carrousel.” This occurs when the Council for Alien Law Litigation overturns a DVZ refusal, only for the DVZ to issue a new refusal on different grounds, forcing the applicant to appeal again — a cycle that can continue for years.
The Ombudsman notes this problem is most prevalent in medical regularization cases but is increasingly appearing in student visa applications. The report recommends that the DVZ monitor the Council’s rulings and adjust its practices accordingly, and calls on Parliament to guarantee effective legal remedies for those appealing administrative decisions.
Human Cost of Administrative Dysfunction
The report includes case studies illustrating the real-world impact of these failures. In one example, a woman identified as “Mrs. Mulaya” — a legal resident of Belgium with an A-card — applied to renew her residence permit and sought family reunification with her husband and two children from Congo. Despite submitting applications on time, the family faced months of delays, inter-departmental suspensions, and a rejected application due to a minor error in a birth certificate. While the Ombudsman’s intervention eventually secured a visa for the husband, the children were forced to submit entirely new applications, facing another nine-month wait.
Staff Shortages and Digital Gaps
The Ombudsman attributes many of the operational failures to chronic staff shortages. While the workforce has been expanded recently, new hires were directed primarily to international protection and return services rather than the departments handling visa and residence permit applications. The report also highlights inadequate digital infrastructure, recommending a fundamental review of how visa applications are submitted, including expanded remote submission options.
Political Pressure Mounts
The report places significant pressure on Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA), who has pursued a restrictive migration policy since taking office. The report was also submitted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the relevant administrations, and Parliament.
The criticism comes amid broader legal and institutional challenges to the government’s migration agenda. In May 2026, the Constitutional Court struck down provisions that would have removed financial aid to asylum seekers when reception places are unavailable, as reported by La Libre Belgique.
What Comes Next
The Ombudsman’s recommendations call for fundamental changes in processing procedures, staffing levels, digital infrastructure, and legal frameworks. Both the DVZ and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have indicated they will carefully examine the recommendations. However, with migration complaints rising steadily for three consecutive years, the question remains whether the government can implement structural reforms quickly enough to restore public confidence in Belgium’s migration system.