NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS
In 2025, 34,439 persons filed an application for international protection at the Immigration Office, i.e. an average of 2,870 per month. At the end of 2025, the influx was significantly lower compared to the last months of 2024. The number of applicants in November (2,257 persons) was the lowest since April 2023.
As a result, the total number of applicants decreased by 13% compared to 2024, when 39,615 persons filed an application, and by 3% compared to 2023.
In 2025, the main countries of origin of applicants for international protection were Afghanistan, Palestine, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkey.
In 2025, 6,865 persons filed a subsequent application for international protection. This represents a rise of 6.1% compared to last year. In percentage terms, the share of subsequent applicants amounts to 20 % of all applicants, compared to 16.3 % in 2024. For certain countries in the top 10, such as Moldova (50.7 %) and Afghanistan (39.2 %), the proportion of subsequent applications remains very high.
The number of applications filed by persons who already enjoy protection status in another EU Member State and still file an application in Belgium, also dropped sharply by 45.5 % (2,629 persons in 2025 compared to 4,825 persons in 2024). In 2025, the Immigration Office registered 1,673 applicants for international protection who pretended to be unaccompanied foreign minors (UAMs). This is a decrease of 35.5 % compared to 2024. After an age assessment by the Guardianship Service, 702 persons were considered as adults. As a result, the number of applicants considered to be UAMs amounts to 971. Not all age assessments have been completed yet. Among the applicants for international protection who declared themselves to be unaccompanied foreign minors, 82.4% are boys and 17.6% are girls. Most of them come from Eritrea (35.6%), Afghanistan (18.3%) and Guinea (8.3%).
More detailed information about the applicants can be found in the statistics on international protection on the website of the Immigration Service.
NUMBER OF DECISIONS
In 2025, the CGRS took 25,920 decisions concerning 31,457 persons. This is 5.6 % less than in 2024, when the CGRS took a record number of 27,471 decisions, but still significantly more than in previous years.
In 24,953 cases (30,352 individuals), a final decision was taken. In the remaining 967 cases (1,105 individuals), an admissibility decision was taken.
The total number of inadmissibility decisions taken last year (6,790 decisions for 7,444 persons compared to 3,964 decisions for 4,561 persons in 2024) increased by 71.3% compared to 2024. More specifically, the difference in inadmissibility decisions due to already enjoying international protection status in another EU Member State (the so-called M files) is even bigger: 3,761 decisions for 4,124 persons in 2025 compared to 611 decisions for 834 persons in 2024. These types of cases require a very specific approach because it is necessary to first determine whether the protection in the other EU Member State is adequate. These cases are given priority by the CGRS. Partly thanks to the support of EUAA experts, the CGRS was able to put a very large number of these M files on the schedule in 2025.
In 2025, the CGRS also launched a specific action to clear the backlog of cases in which the validity of protection status had to be re-assessed for reasons of public order. This resulted in a high number of cessations and revocations. For example, the status of 171 persons was ended (compared to 48 in 2024). The status of 93 persons was revoked (compared to 28 in 2024).
In 2025, the CGRS granted international protection status in 28.4 % of its final decisions. As a result, the protection rate was lower than in previous years (47.8 % in 2024 and 43.5 % in 2023). The protection rate was significantly lower due to two important factors:
- In 2024, the CGRS took a recognition decision for 2,774 persons from Syria. Due to the temporary suspension in the first ten months of 2025, decisions were only taken for Syrian persons enjoying protection status in another EU Member State. Since the beginning of November, preparations have been made to resume the processing of files, and the first invitations for new personal interviews have been sent.
- The significant increase in the processing of applications filed by persons already enjoying protection status in another EU Member State. These cases are given priority by the CGRS. In 2025, mainly cases of Palestinians enjoying protection status in another Member State were processed, with decisions mainly being inadmissibility decisions.
26.2% of the final decisions were decisions recognizing refugee status and 2.2% were decisions granting subsidiary protection status.
If we exclude inadmissibility decisions, the protection rate for 2025 amounts to 39.1% (compared to 55.5 % in 2024). Last year, the CGRS granted international protection status to 8,987 persons.
The highest number of recognized refugee statuses in 2025 was granted to Afghans (1,432 persons), Palestinians (1,266), Eritreans (1,209), Turks (668), and Somalis (376). The highest number of subsidiary protection statuses in 2025 was granted to Yemenis (292), Eritreans (124), and Sudanese (32).
The caseload at the CGRS amounted to 24,406 cases (31,085 persons) at the end of 2025, compared to 26,119 cases at the end of 2024. This means that the CGRS was able to take a final decision in more cases than the number of cases transferred to the CGRS by the Immigration Office in the course of 2025. This caseload does not include cases for which the Immigration Office has already registered an application but which have not yet been transferred to the CGRS. After the application has been registered and submitted, the Immigration Office organizes a short interview. The Immigration Office also first examines whether Belgium is the Member State responsible for processing the application for international protection (the so-called “Dublin” procedure). Only when it is established that Belgium is the responsible Member State, the file is transferred to the CGRS.