On 12 November the European Commission formally kicked off the inaugural Annual Migration Management Cycle, a key governance pillar of the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact. The cycle introduces a yearly data-driven review of asylum flows, reception capacity and labour-market needs across all 27 member states. For Belgium, the baseline indicators recorded in the 2025 report—high reception occupancy, below-average return rates and persistent skills shortages in IT and healthcare—will drive policy recommendations and EU funding decisions over the next 12 months.
Each national government must now draft a ‘National Migration Strategy’ aligned with the Commission’s findings. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed that Brussels will prioritise (1) reducing single-permit processing times for shortage occupations to under eight weeks, (2) adding 1,500 reception beds by March 2026, and (3) expanding return-counselling capacity. Failure to deliver on these targets could see parts of Belgium’s AMIF (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund) allocation re-programmed by the Commission.
![Commission launches first Annual Migration Management Cycle, setting benchmarks for Belgium]()
The new cycle also launches an ‘Early Warning’ dashboard—accessible to member-state authorities and certain corporate stakeholders—showing near-real-time pressure points in the asylum and reception system. Mobility managers in multinational firms may request access through Belgium’s Immigration Office to better anticipate processing slowdowns or housing shortages that could affect incoming assignees.
From a compliance perspective, companies employing third-country nationals should watch for expected tweaks to salary thresholds and labour-market-test exemptions that could emerge when Belgium updates its single-permit rules in response to Commission benchmarking. Early drafts suggest the Flemish Region may raise the highly skilled salary threshold by 3 % for 2026, while Brussels could add new shortage occupations in the green-tech sector.
The Commission will publish its next scoreboard in November 2026, making this first cycle a template for evidence-based policy. Businesses should engage in the consultation phase—open until 20 January 2026—to ensure corporate-mobility realities are reflected in Belgium’s national strategy.
Each national government must now draft a ‘National Migration Strategy’ aligned with the Commission’s findings. Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed that Brussels will prioritise (1) reducing single-permit processing times for shortage occupations to under eight weeks, (2) adding 1,500 reception beds by March 2026, and (3) expanding return-counselling capacity. Failure to deliver on these targets could see parts of Belgium’s AMIF (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund) allocation re-programmed by the Commission.
The new cycle also launches an ‘Early Warning’ dashboard—accessible to member-state authorities and certain corporate stakeholders—showing near-real-time pressure points in the asylum and reception system. Mobility managers in multinational firms may request access through Belgium’s Immigration Office to better anticipate processing slowdowns or housing shortages that could affect incoming assignees.
From a compliance perspective, companies employing third-country nationals should watch for expected tweaks to salary thresholds and labour-market-test exemptions that could emerge when Belgium updates its single-permit rules in response to Commission benchmarking. Early drafts suggest the Flemish Region may raise the highly skilled salary threshold by 3 % for 2026, while Brussels could add new shortage occupations in the green-tech sector.
The Commission will publish its next scoreboard in November 2026, making this first cycle a template for evidence-based policy. Businesses should engage in the consultation phase—open until 20 January 2026—to ensure corporate-mobility realities are reflected in Belgium’s national strategy.
