"Asylum seekers may have to wait a year"

Dirk Van Den Bulck, Belgium's commissioner-general for refugees and the stateless, has warned that it could take up to a year before refugees receive official recognition - and can legally work. The commissariat-general that is responsible for providing the recognition is having trouble keeping up with events. The backlog is enormous.

At present between 4,000 and 5,000 people are claiming asylum in Belgian each and every month. Last August the government decided to recruit more staff to process asylum applications. 120 staff are currently in training, but if present demand persists more staff will be needed Mr Dirk Van Den Bulck notes.

Some applicants are informed of the decision within three months. Others are having to wait a lot longer. According to Dirk Van Den Bulck some groups of asylum seekers may have to wait a full year.

The commissioner-general believes all EU states currently face a major problem given the number of asylum seekers arriving here: "It's chiefly countries with a well-developed asylum system that face a steep increase to levels that could not have been anticipated."

How does Belgium's recognition system work?

Asylum seekers arriving in Belgium should register with the immigration department. Given present demand this can take a while. After registration it is the commissariat-general for refugees and the stateless that takes over. It examines the situation of candidate refugees and takes a decision on whether they can count on protection in Belgium or not.

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