• Asylum claim – request for international protection

If you have a well-founded fear of persecution in your country of origin for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, you are eligible for refugee status. I will assist you in handling your asylum application at the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons. If you are refused I will appeal to the Council for Alien Law Litigation and plead your case there.

Here too, a good immigration lawyer can make all the difference. It is vital that you put your case together well, gather as much evidence as possible and notify the competent authorities of the most recent human rights situation in your region of origin. I have spent years as an official for the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (for the regions of South East Turkey, Middle East and Africa), and I know the subject matter through and through.   

• Medical regularisation

If you have a serious medical problem you can, in some circumstances, apply for a residence permit. I can help you submit a request for medical regularization (Article 9 of the Alien Act).

If you are refused I can assess your chances of appeal before the Council for Immigration Disputes and plead your case there. 

• Family reunification

Family reunification is a complex matter. In principle, family reunification is possible for your partner (through marriage or legal cohabitation) and your dependent children

However, there are exceptions, conditions and possibilities which you may not have considered. I will guide you through the maze of rules, cross-cutting practices and administrative pitfalls.   

If you are staying in Belgium illegally and you have a genuine love relationship with a Belgian or EU citizen, it is important that you have this love relationship recognised through marriage or legal cohabitation. 

In these cases the authorities may doubt the sincerity of your relationship and begin an investigation to establish whether the marriage or legal cohabitation is a sham. If you are on solid ground, the investigation should turn out well, but it makes sense to have a little extra support. 

If the authorities refuse to acknowledge your marriage or legal cohabitation I can lodge an appeal for you with the competent family court and plead your case there.

• Foreign partner – child – visa C, D.

If you have a foreign partner, I can investigate with you the possibility of having your partner come to Belgium on a C or D visa.

If you are Belgian and have a child to a foreign partner with whom you are in a love relationship, your child may in some circumstances qualify for Belgian nationality. I will explain how you can go about this.   

Finally, some types of family reunification are governed by strict income conditions. There is a lot of recent case law (Council for Immigration Disputes and Council of State), which may be of relevance here. 

• B card, F card, F+ card, L card, A card, registration certificate or orange card  – Annex 15, Annex 35,  Annex 19 ter.

These are examples of residence documents.

What are your rights, what are your options and what are the differences? How can you obtain permanent residence (a precondition for applying for Belgian nationality)? Are there ways to accelerate the process?

If you would like me to, I will look at your individual situation and explain how to go about consolidating your stay in Belgium.

• Humanitarian regularisation

A procedure based on Article 9 bis of the Alien Act may offer a way out of illegality, enabling you get your life back on track. I will help you build a case that gives you the best chance of success.

• Union citizens

Union citizens are entitled to stay in Belgium as an EU job seeker, EU student or EU employee. I will help you with the complexity of problems relating to residence status post-Brexit.

• Working visa

I can also help you with your application for a working visa (the so-called “single permit”).

Economic immigration is a current issue in immigration law. Recently this area, which is a regional competency, has become more open to possibility. If, as an immigrant, you can fill a shortage occupation or hold a high-level qualification (bachelor-degree level), you have a real chance of employment and residence.      

Here too, it is vital that you present the strongest possible case. Read more here. 

• Professional card

As a third-country national (non-EU citizen) you must apply for a professional card + visa to develop an independent activity in Flanders. This is not possible without a business plan and market analysis.

Investment readiness and job creation are important issues and you will need to demonstrate the added economic or cultural value that you will bring to the Flanders region. 

Read more here. 

• Stateless persons

Under immigration law, stateless persons do not have an automatic right of residence in Belgium. This is a loophole in the immigration law, I will put your case together for you and initiate proceedings with the Court of First Instance.

• Withdrawal of residency – right to a hearing

In the majority of cases the administration cannot withdraw your residency without giving you the right to a hearing.

What documents should you produce, and how can you convince the administration of your case and retain your residency? How can you appeal if your right to residency is withdrawn nonetheless? In these cases it is important to take the right steps in good time.

• Birth certificate

In some procedures it is essential that you produce a birth certificate (to marry or apply for Belgian nationality).

If you cannot produce a birth certificate you will need to apply to the competent family court for a replacement document. I can help you with this.