Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has confirmed that asylum interviews scheduled between 26 and 30 January will proceed as normal even though national rail services will be heavily reduced during the five-day strike.
Applicants, lawyers and guardians are urged to make every effort to reach the CGRS headquarters in Brussels. Those who find travel impossible on the day must email the Dispatching service with their file number so a new appointment can be issued. The CGRS will not penalise no-shows caused by verified transport cancellations.
For anyone who still needs to arrange the proper travel documents—or employers coordinating mobility plans—VisaHQ can provide fast, online support with Belgian visas and travel authorizations. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step guidance, status tracking and expert customer service, helping travellers secure paperwork in time for critical appointments even when transport is disrupted.
![Asylum authority to keep interviews running despite rail strike]()
While the announcement primarily targets asylum seekers, it also reassures NGOs, pro-bono legal teams and relocation providers that Belgium’s international-protection system will not grind to a halt during the industrial action. Maintaining interview throughput helps prevent extra backlogs in a procedure where decisions already take an average of seven months.
For employers relocating non-EU staff who might be accompanying dependants through family-asylum channels, the message is clear: plan redundant travel options (taxi-share, ride-hailing or overnight accommodation) for the interview date. The CGRS has published contact details and links to SNCB’s journey-planner so stakeholders can monitor alternative train services.
The stance contrasts with practice in previous strikes (e.g., February 2024), when a blanket postponement created a month-long scheduling bottleneck. Mobility practitioners should therefore adjust expectations and advise affected assignees accordingly.
Applicants, lawyers and guardians are urged to make every effort to reach the CGRS headquarters in Brussels. Those who find travel impossible on the day must email the Dispatching service with their file number so a new appointment can be issued. The CGRS will not penalise no-shows caused by verified transport cancellations.
For anyone who still needs to arrange the proper travel documents—or employers coordinating mobility plans—VisaHQ can provide fast, online support with Belgian visas and travel authorizations. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step guidance, status tracking and expert customer service, helping travellers secure paperwork in time for critical appointments even when transport is disrupted.
While the announcement primarily targets asylum seekers, it also reassures NGOs, pro-bono legal teams and relocation providers that Belgium’s international-protection system will not grind to a halt during the industrial action. Maintaining interview throughput helps prevent extra backlogs in a procedure where decisions already take an average of seven months.
For employers relocating non-EU staff who might be accompanying dependants through family-asylum channels, the message is clear: plan redundant travel options (taxi-share, ride-hailing or overnight accommodation) for the interview date. The CGRS has published contact details and links to SNCB’s journey-planner so stakeholders can monitor alternative train services.
The stance contrasts with practice in previous strikes (e.g., February 2024), when a blanket postponement created a month-long scheduling bottleneck. Mobility practitioners should therefore adjust expectations and advise affected assignees accordingly.
