The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) chose 3 November 2025 to publish its flagship “International Migration Outlook 2025”. Belgium, whose new ‘Arizona’ coalition has made migration control a political priority, receives particular attention in the country chapter. The report notes that permanent immigration to Belgium rose 6 % in 2024 to just over 167 000 people, driven mainly by Ukrainians under the EU Temporary Protection Directive and continued family-reunification inflows.
At the same time, the OECD points out that Belgium has become one of only three EU states to raise the income threshold for family reunification above 110 % of the guaranteed minimum wage and to introduce a two-year waiting period for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. According to the OECD this “could slow demographic replenishment at a time when Belgian employers face record vacancies in health, ICT and engineering”. The think-tank warns that stricter rules may push multinationals to relocate regional functions to the Netherlands or Ireland, where accompanying-family criteria remain looser.
![OECD International Migration Outlook 2025 highlights Belgium’s tightening family-reunification rules and talent shortages]()
On talent attraction, the Outlook credits Belgium for having issued more than 4 300 EU Blue Cards in 2024 – a 40 % jump year-on-year – after Flanders cut processing times to three weeks. However, uptake is patchy: Wallonia approved fewer than 200 highly-skilled permits, held back by language requirements and lower salary levels. The OECD urges federal and regional authorities to harmonise recognition of foreign qualifications and allow English-language employment contracts country-wide.
For HR and global-mobility managers the message is two-fold. First, Belgium’s high-skill work-permit channels remain attractive, but HR teams should anticipate longer timelines and higher salary thresholds for bringing in spouses, partners and children. Second, shortages in STEM and care occupations will create opportunities for employers able to navigate the new rules – provided relocation packages include language training and long-term family support.
At the same time, the OECD points out that Belgium has become one of only three EU states to raise the income threshold for family reunification above 110 % of the guaranteed minimum wage and to introduce a two-year waiting period for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. According to the OECD this “could slow demographic replenishment at a time when Belgian employers face record vacancies in health, ICT and engineering”. The think-tank warns that stricter rules may push multinationals to relocate regional functions to the Netherlands or Ireland, where accompanying-family criteria remain looser.
On talent attraction, the Outlook credits Belgium for having issued more than 4 300 EU Blue Cards in 2024 – a 40 % jump year-on-year – after Flanders cut processing times to three weeks. However, uptake is patchy: Wallonia approved fewer than 200 highly-skilled permits, held back by language requirements and lower salary levels. The OECD urges federal and regional authorities to harmonise recognition of foreign qualifications and allow English-language employment contracts country-wide.
For HR and global-mobility managers the message is two-fold. First, Belgium’s high-skill work-permit channels remain attractive, but HR teams should anticipate longer timelines and higher salary thresholds for bringing in spouses, partners and children. Second, shortages in STEM and care occupations will create opportunities for employers able to navigate the new rules – provided relocation packages include language training and long-term family support.
