The SPF Migration will comprise four general directorates—Protection (including the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons), Access and Stay, Reception, and Return—with the Advisory Council for Foreigners’ Litigation functioning as an independent jurisdiction.

The reform consolidates these elements into a new department and attaches the Council for Alien Law Litigation as an independent administrative court.

Belgian officials announced a reform to consolidate migration services into a single federal public service, SPF Migration, to reduce fragmentation and create a coherent, efficient system.

These two cross-cutting units will operate across all branches to ensure consistent handling of vulnerable cases and security issues.

The reform will coordinate actions across the landscape, cutting down on time and energy spent on migration management by eliminating the current patchwork of agencies.

Today’s system distributes responsibilities among the Aliens Office, CGRS, the Council for Alien Law Litigation, Fedasil, and the Justice Department, leading to inefficiencies the reform seeks to resolve.

The Conseil d’État will suspend a whole section of migration policy, underscoring the ongoing legal-political dynamics surrounding the reform.

Officials project faster asylum procedures, lower reception costs, more humane treatment, and higher return rates as a result of the unified structure.

The plan addresses fragmentation tied to the Office of Foreigners under the Interior Ministry, Fedasil, and age determinations for foreign minors, unifying these components under SPF Migration.

Two dedicated support units will assist all four directorates: one focused on vulnerable persons, including unaccompanied minors, and another on security-related concerns like radicalisation and human trafficking.

As a pilot for broader centralization, the reform envisions common internal services (IT, infrastructure, procurement) across SPF agencies and signals potential reorganization of scientific institutions and the Chancellery.