In 2022, 71 refugees were resettled in Belgium, mainly Syrians from Jordan, Egypt or Lebanon. This figure is not in line with the objectives set at the beginning of last year by our country.

The reception network of Fedasil is indeed confronted with a permanent lack of places, which required to delay the transfers to Belgium of the refugees selected for resettlement.

Sponsorship

Fedasil has looked for alternative reception models in order to ensure the continuity of the resettlement programme. That is how the "community sponsorship" programme was introduced in Belgium. This project consists in setting up a host group of volunteer citizens - in collaboration with Fedasil and the partner organisation (Caritas or SB Overseas) - which supports for a year the resettled refugees in their arrival process and their integration in the Belgian society.

For example, in Erps-Kwerps (Flemish Brabant), an enthusiastic host group has supported the arrival of the little Kawthar, her parents and younger sister (see picture). They helped the young family with different procedures that are far from easy for newcomers, like the contacts with the commune, the school registration of the children or the search for a job.

Here is the statistical report about resettlement in Belgium: resettlements in 2022 (in French, PDF)

Resettlement is a program run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It involves selecting and transferring migrants from a State where they have sought protection to another State which agrees to receive them as refugees. Since the beginning of the Belgian resettlement programme in 2013, 4,501 refugees have already been resettled.

More information: https://www.fedasil.be/en/resettlement.