Belgium Records Significant Drop in Asylum Protection Rate
The protection rate—the proportion of decisions in which the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) grants refugee status or subsidiary protection—stood at 28.4% last year, down from 47.2% in 2024, according to reports.
A key factor in the decline was the temporary suspension of Syrian asylum cases for most of 2025, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Syrians have historically been the largest group of asylum seekers in Belgium, with roughly 44,000 receiving protection since the start of the civil war.
The CGRS also prioritized applicants holding "M status"—those already granted protection in another EU member state—reducing their chances of receiving protection under new rules.
Overall, 67% of asylum applications were rejected in 2025.
Refugee status, granted to individuals facing targeted persecution, was awarded in 27% of cases, while subsidiary protection for those at serious risk due to war or torture accounted for 2% of approvals.
The total number of applications fell to 34,439 in 2025, compared with 39,615 in 2024, with the most significant declines occurring in the last four months of the year, outpacing the European average. Applications from Syrians dropped by 74%, while those from Palestinians fell 40%, Somalis 30%, and Iraqis 21%.
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