The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR)identifies the refugees who fulfil the criteria for resettlement. On the basis of their vulnerability, UNHCR selects refugees and submits their files to Belgium.

The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) organizes a selection mission in the first country of asylum and conducts interviews with refugees. On the basis of the interview and other elements of the case, the CGRS issues a notice to the political authority in charge of asylum and migration. The political authority takes a final decision and gives instructions for the issuance of the necessary travel documents to selected refugees.

Fedasil carries out a medical screening in order to identify the medical needs at an early stage so that the necessary preparations to organise the transfer and the reception in Belgium can be made. The medical screening often takes place during the selection mission.

Fedasil organises social screenings, usually in the framework of the selection mission, during which information is given in order to, on the one hand, adjust the expectations regarding Belgium and on the other hand, to collect relevant information in order to prepare a social file. This information can relate to the personal family situation, certain accommodation needs, possible family links in Belgium, knowledge of languages, schooling, professional experience, etc.

Fedasil, with the logistical support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM),is in charge of the organisation of BELCO, the Belgian cultural orientation. The purpose of BELCO is to inform the refugees before their departure and to help them better manage their expectations. For several days, Fedasil addresses a range of topics (school, work, norms and values, travel...) and conducts individual interviews with refugees to prepare their reception in Belgium.

More info: here

After obtaining the necessary documents via the Immigration Office (IO), the Foreign Affairs and the local embassies, refugees leave the country they are living. The IOM takes cares of the flights, the last medical examinations and supports refugees from their departure to their arrival in Belgium, which includes the formalities in terms of immigration and customs.

There are different reception models for the resettled refugees in Belgium. The standard model consists in a reception phase in a collective centre specialised in the reception of resettled refugees (Kapellen, Florennes, Morlanwelz, Pondrôme and Saint-Trond), followed by a stay in a LRI or a TVU (a facility for vulnerable profiles, managed by Caritas International). In some cases, the resettled persons are accommodated in a LRI or a TVU right after their arrival. In addition, the PCSW (public social welfare centres) have the possibility to offer refugees accommodation in their commune and thus become a partner of the programme, either right after the arrival of the refugees or after a stay in a collective reception centre or in a LRI.
Besides the reception models proposed by the government actors (Fedasil or the PCSW), there is a model where the reception is ensured by the community itself: the Community Sponsorsip project. A group of volunteers can be candidate to receive a person or a family resettled in Belgium and to guide them for some time. The group thus joins one the intermediary organisations that provide the necessary support in the field.

Here is an overview of the different models: here

It is only after the arrival in Belgium that the refugees officially apply for international protection at the Immigration Office. This appointment at the IO takes place a few days after their arrival. Since the CGRAS has already given a positive advice regarding their application, they are quickly granted a refugee status.

At different stages of the resettlement process, trainings are proposed to inform the resettled persons about life in Belgium and to focus on the development of competences and attitudes that will help them with the adaptation and integration process in Belgium. Besides the conventional integration services in Belgium to which the resettled persons have access after their arrival in Belgium, the following initiatives aim at preparing them as early as possible.