Anneleen Van Bossuyt introduces stricter checks for EU jobseekers: “Residence rights are not a free pass”

EU citizens who wish to stay in Belgium for more than three months while looking for work will soon face stricter checks. The Council of Ministers has approved, at first reading, a proposal by Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt.

“People who come here to work or to look for work remain welcome. But residence rights are not a free pass to social assistance without making a genuine effort,” the minister said. “After six months, it should be clear that someone is actively taking steps towards finding employment.”

Second check after six months

Under the new system, the procedure will be organised in two stages. When applying, individuals will now be required to provide both proof of job applications and evidence of registration with the relevant public employment service, such as VDAB The Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding (VDAB, Flemish Public Employment and Professional Training Service) is a Flemish public service that coordinates supply and demand in the employment market, with its main task consisting of serving as an intermediary for job seekers and providing them with support in getting back to work. Since the State reform in 1989, job placement has been a competence of the Regions and job training a competence of the Communities. The VDAB’s counterpart in Wallonia is Forem, and Actiris in Brussels. VDAB . Currently, providing just one of these documents is sufficient.

A second assessment will take place after six months. At that stage, jobseekers must also demonstrate that they have a genuine prospect of finding employment, for example on the basis of their qualifications, training, work experience or concrete job applications.

According to Anneleen Van Bossuyt, the additional check is necessary to prevent abuse of the system.

“In practice, we see that some people initially take steps to find work, but once they obtain a residence permit, they stop making serious efforts and subsequently apply for social assistance. Residence rights are intended for those who meet the conditions, not for those who use the rules as a back door into the welfare system.”

Family reunification rules also tightened

The procedure for family reunification with EU citizens will also become more stringent. Applications will only be processed once they are complete. If required documents are missing, the application will be declared inadmissible.

The measure is intended to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on municipalities and public services, while allowing cases to be assessed more quickly.

Figures from the Belgian Immigration Office show that 1,266 EU residence cards were issued to EU jobseekers in 2025. During the same period, 705 applications were rejected and 202 residence permits within this category were withdrawn.

The minister also pointed to the high number of applications submitted by Romanian and Bulgarian nationals. Inspections sometimes reveal that applicants are in fact nationals of non-EU countries in the Western Balkans who falsely present themselves as EU citizens.

For Anneleen Van Bossuyt, this underlines the need for continued vigilance. “We must be fair to those who come here to work or look for work. But we must be equally fair to our society, our public services and taxpayers. That is why we are making the rules clearer, strengthening the evidence requirements and applying checks more consistently,” she concluded.