Almost four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Belgium has crossed a symbolic threshold: more than 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have now received temporary-protection status. Data released on 18 February 2026 by the Belgian Immigration Office show that 101,536 residence cards were issued between March 2022 and January 2026, making Ukrainians the country’s largest single group of newly arrived third-country nationals.
Under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, beneficiaries enjoy the right to live and work without going through the standard asylum procedure. Belgian municipalities have scrambled to provide schooling, health care and housing—initially relying on host-family networks, but increasingly shifting to state-run accommodation as volunteer capacity wanes. Wallonia recently warned that reception budgets are ‘approaching their limit’, while Flanders is expanding language-integration courses to meet demand.
For anyone who will eventually need to move from temporary protection to a longer-term visa—or for employers navigating Belgium’s broader immigration system—VisaHQ offers step-by-step guidance, digital form processing and real-time status updates for all Belgian visa categories. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest requirements and fees, making it easier for Ukrainian nationals and the companies that hire them to plan ahead without costly delays.
![Temporary-protection rolls for Ukrainians in Belgium top 100,000]()
For employers, the programme has been both a lifeline and a challenge. Staffing agencies report that Ukrainians fill chronic shortages in logistics, food processing and nursing, yet language barriers and child-care gaps have limited full labour-market participation (estimated at just under 40 %). Some multinationals are running fast-track Dutch or French classes on-site to retain skilled refugees who might otherwise relocate to countries with larger diaspora networks, such as Germany or Poland.
The EU has already extended the directive until 4 March 2027, giving beneficiaries another year of legal certainty. Belgian HR teams should therefore incorporate temporary-protection holders into medium-term workforce planning but remain alert to the directive’s eventual expiry. Immigration lawyers expect Brussels to unveil a transition scheme in early 2027, possibly offering a pathway to normal work permits for those already employed.
Municipalities, meanwhile, are lobbying the federal government for additional subsidies to cover rising social-service costs. Without fresh funding, urban centres such as Anderlecht and Schaerbeek warn of longer processing queues for residency renewals and ID cards, which could in turn delay onboarding for new hires.
Under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, beneficiaries enjoy the right to live and work without going through the standard asylum procedure. Belgian municipalities have scrambled to provide schooling, health care and housing—initially relying on host-family networks, but increasingly shifting to state-run accommodation as volunteer capacity wanes. Wallonia recently warned that reception budgets are ‘approaching their limit’, while Flanders is expanding language-integration courses to meet demand.
For anyone who will eventually need to move from temporary protection to a longer-term visa—or for employers navigating Belgium’s broader immigration system—VisaHQ offers step-by-step guidance, digital form processing and real-time status updates for all Belgian visa categories. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest requirements and fees, making it easier for Ukrainian nationals and the companies that hire them to plan ahead without costly delays.
For employers, the programme has been both a lifeline and a challenge. Staffing agencies report that Ukrainians fill chronic shortages in logistics, food processing and nursing, yet language barriers and child-care gaps have limited full labour-market participation (estimated at just under 40 %). Some multinationals are running fast-track Dutch or French classes on-site to retain skilled refugees who might otherwise relocate to countries with larger diaspora networks, such as Germany or Poland.
The EU has already extended the directive until 4 March 2027, giving beneficiaries another year of legal certainty. Belgian HR teams should therefore incorporate temporary-protection holders into medium-term workforce planning but remain alert to the directive’s eventual expiry. Immigration lawyers expect Brussels to unveil a transition scheme in early 2027, possibly offering a pathway to normal work permits for those already employed.
Municipalities, meanwhile, are lobbying the federal government for additional subsidies to cover rising social-service costs. Without fresh funding, urban centres such as Anderlecht and Schaerbeek warn of longer processing queues for residency renewals and ID cards, which could in turn delay onboarding for new hires.
