Belgium: Could residence permits be withdrawn from unemployed foreigners?

This measure is one of the 70 points in the far-right Vlaams Belang party’s program to combat immigration. “There would be very heated debates” on the subject, Le Vif reports. The Mouvement réformateur (MR) party does not support this option. “No, that’s nonsense,” says MP Youssef Handichi, explaining that it is “impossible” to link the lives of foreigners in Belgium to work, particularly those who have already started a family. “It is not a good measure; it weakens people’s integration into society.”

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Benoît Piedbœuf, the MR parliamentary group leader, believes that measures that “grant rights only after a certain period to newcomers—that is reasonable.” According to him, “this closes off a kind of avenue for immigration, particularly illegal immigration.” The parliamentarian proposes dealing with each situation on a case-by-case basis, rather than withdrawing the residence permit of all unemployed foreigners. “There are people who may find themselves in unfortunate individual circumstances, who do not deserve to be punished and thrown out,” he argues.

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For her part, MP Florence Reuter is calling for social benefits to be granted to foreigners after five years of unemployment. This is intended to encourage them to look for work.