Minister Van Bossuyt raises income requirements for non-EU students: “Preventing abuse and protecting students”

Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt has increased the minimum amount of financial means required for non-EU students who want to study in Belgium. With this measure, the minister aims to strengthen student migration as a gateway for international talent, while preventing abuse and avoiding situations where students end up in financial hardship.

“International students can be a real asset for our universities and colleges,” says Anneleen Van Bossuyt. “But those who come here to study must be able to do so with sufficient personal resources. That is not only in our interest, but also in the interest of the students themselves.”

Current reference amount no longer reflects real costs

Today, non-EU students who wish to study in Belgium must prove that they have sufficient financial means. This can be done in several ways, such as presenting a scholarship certificate, a blocked bank guarantee, or through a third party who acts as a financial guarantor for the student.

However, the current reference amount of €835 per month is no longer sufficient to cover the real costs of housing, living expenses and residence in Belgium. The basic amount will therefore be increased to €1,050 per month. This new reference amount will apply to all applications from the 2026–2027 academic year onwards and will be indexed annually.

“International students are welcome, but it is only reasonable that they can finance their studies with sufficient personal resources. This new amount provides a more realistic picture of the actual costs and prevents students from arriving here only to be confronted with the financial reality of studying in Belgium and then having to rely on our social assistance system,” Van Bossuyt explains.

The Council of Ministers has already recently approved stricter conditions in this area: students from non-EU countries will soon only be eligible for social assistance after at least five years of legal residence in Belgium.

Broader reform of student migration policy

The increase of the reference amount forms part of a broader reform of Belgium’s student migration policy. In the coming months, the government will work out additional measures included in the coalition agreement, including an evaluation of entry conditions and study progress requirements, as well as a stricter approach to financial guarantees.

Several abuses have been identified, such as people acting as guarantors for a student in exchange for payment, or guarantors who ultimately do not have the financial means or refuse to release them. To address this, the conditions will be tightened, a database of guarantors will be created and fraudulent guarantors will be blacklisted.

These stricter measures are intended to ensure that student migration does not become a backdoor for easily entering the country and staying longer than legally permitted. “Belgium remains open to talent, but it is not naïve. It is essential that student migration continues to serve its original purpose as an exchange of knowledge, with a temporary stay followed by a return home, and not as a way to enter Belgium and remain here longer than intended,” the minister concludes.