Belgium approves 30,000 asylum requests in 2015

About 30,000 asylum seekers in 2015 acquired the right to reside in Belgium, according to state secretary for asylum and migration Theo Francken (pictured), writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

Francken announced the figures this week, just days before the end of 2015. "On 31 December, the number of asylum applications in Belgium will fall somewhere between 35,600 and 36,000," he told the newspaper.

"In fact we're looking at a total of 47,000 to 48,000 asylum seekers this year, because minors who arrive together with their parents do not submit their own request. Of those 48,000 people, we've already recognised about 55%. And there will be thousands more based on family reunification, bringing the total number of approved applications in 2015 up to about 30,000."

“A manageable number," according to Francken, who points out that 30,000 is only a quarter to a third of all people who emigrate annually to Belgium of their own free will, especially Romanians, Bulgarians, Dutch and French. "But the integration of Iraqis, Afghans and Syrians requires much more care, effort and money than, say, the Dutch settling just across the border in Essen," he adds.