Belgium’s Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has moved quickly to reassure protection applicants that their scheduled interviews will not be cancelled by the five-day national rail strike announced for 26–30 January 2026. In a notice published on 22 January, the CGRS acknowledged that train availability will be “limited” once the walk-out begins at 22:00 on Sunday but stressed that the agency intends to maintain the interview timetable at its Brussels headquarters.
The CGRS urges applicants, legal guardians and counsel to use the SNCB journey planner or mobile app to map alternative routes and to leave extra travel time. Should same-day travel prove impossible, interviewees are instructed to notify the CGRS dispatch team by e-mail with their file number so that a new appointment can be issued swiftly. The proactive guidance contrasts with past strike periods, when large numbers of interviews had to be rescheduled at short notice, creating procedural backlogs and prolonging case-processing times.
![Belgium’s asylum authority confirms personal interviews will go ahead during 26-30 January rail strike]()
In this context, organisations looking for extra support with travel documentation may find it useful to consult VisaHQ, whose Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides fast, online assistance for Schengen visa applications, passport renewals and courier deliveries—services that can prove invaluable when rail disruptions threaten to derail tightly scheduled CGRS interviews.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the clarification matters because uninterrupted asylum operations help Belgium avoid fresh pressure on its already-strained reception network. NGOs have warned that any slowdown in status determinations could exacerbate accommodation shortages and lead to renewed court-ordered fines against the federal government. Employers that assist humanitarian transferees or dependants of skilled workers now have greater certainty that interviews — a prerequisite for residence documentation and labour-market access — will proceed as planned.
Practical tips for mobility managers include advising staff and applicants to book hotel stays near Brussels-Schuman if their interview falls during the strike window, monitoring Eurostar and Thalys updates for international arrivals, and preparing proxy letters for lawyers in case clients are delayed en route. The CGRS notice also serves as a reminder that failure to appear without timely justification renders an asylum application inadmissible, potentially triggering removal orders and company-sponsorship complications.
The CGRS urges applicants, legal guardians and counsel to use the SNCB journey planner or mobile app to map alternative routes and to leave extra travel time. Should same-day travel prove impossible, interviewees are instructed to notify the CGRS dispatch team by e-mail with their file number so that a new appointment can be issued swiftly. The proactive guidance contrasts with past strike periods, when large numbers of interviews had to be rescheduled at short notice, creating procedural backlogs and prolonging case-processing times.
In this context, organisations looking for extra support with travel documentation may find it useful to consult VisaHQ, whose Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides fast, online assistance for Schengen visa applications, passport renewals and courier deliveries—services that can prove invaluable when rail disruptions threaten to derail tightly scheduled CGRS interviews.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the clarification matters because uninterrupted asylum operations help Belgium avoid fresh pressure on its already-strained reception network. NGOs have warned that any slowdown in status determinations could exacerbate accommodation shortages and lead to renewed court-ordered fines against the federal government. Employers that assist humanitarian transferees or dependants of skilled workers now have greater certainty that interviews — a prerequisite for residence documentation and labour-market access — will proceed as planned.
Practical tips for mobility managers include advising staff and applicants to book hotel stays near Brussels-Schuman if their interview falls during the strike window, monitoring Eurostar and Thalys updates for international arrivals, and preparing proxy letters for lawyers in case clients are delayed en route. The CGRS notice also serves as a reminder that failure to appear without timely justification renders an asylum application inadmissible, potentially triggering removal orders and company-sponsorship complications.
