Belgian prison officers launched a 24-hour strike at 22:00 on 13 April to protest what unions describe as creeping privatisation and a draft law that would allow EU and Swiss nationals to work in correctional facilities. The walk-out closed large sections of prisons in Antwerp, Leuven and Namur and spread to immigration detention centres in Merksplas, Bruges and Steenokkerzeel, where foreign nationals awaiting removal are held. Police were drafted in to guarantee minimum service levels.
![Nation-wide prison strike spills over to immigration detention centres]()
Amid such uncertainty, individuals and companies that need to move staff in and out of Belgium can simplify the visa and work-permit process with support from VisaHQ. The service provides real-time requirements, digital application tools and optional concierge handling for everything from short-stay Schengen visas to long-term employment permits, helping applicants sidestep delays when administrative disruptions like strikes hit. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
Unions argue that outsourcing security functions at the yet-to-open Antwerp ‘Dessel’ facility sets “a dangerous precedent” and that allowing non-Belgian guards violates the constitution’s nationality clause for authority roles. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden counters that the private guards will perform only peripheral tasks such as visitor screening and that hiring across the EU labour market is essential to fill 1,200 vacant posts. For global-mobility managers, the strike underscores the wider labour shortage that is prompting Belgian authorities to relax nationality requirements in certain public-sector roles. Employers sponsoring non-EU talent into Belgium may ultimately benefit from faster processing if the policy expands, but the political backlash signals that implementation could be rocky. Talks between unions and Civil Service Minister Vanessa Matz are scheduled for later this week. If no deal emerges, further rolling stoppages could affect visits and legal proceedings involving foreign detainees.
Amid such uncertainty, individuals and companies that need to move staff in and out of Belgium can simplify the visa and work-permit process with support from VisaHQ. The service provides real-time requirements, digital application tools and optional concierge handling for everything from short-stay Schengen visas to long-term employment permits, helping applicants sidestep delays when administrative disruptions like strikes hit. Full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
Unions argue that outsourcing security functions at the yet-to-open Antwerp ‘Dessel’ facility sets “a dangerous precedent” and that allowing non-Belgian guards violates the constitution’s nationality clause for authority roles. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden counters that the private guards will perform only peripheral tasks such as visitor screening and that hiring across the EU labour market is essential to fill 1,200 vacant posts. For global-mobility managers, the strike underscores the wider labour shortage that is prompting Belgian authorities to relax nationality requirements in certain public-sector roles. Employers sponsoring non-EU talent into Belgium may ultimately benefit from faster processing if the policy expands, but the political backlash signals that implementation could be rocky. Talks between unions and Civil Service Minister Vanessa Matz are scheduled for later this week. If no deal emerges, further rolling stoppages could affect visits and legal proceedings involving foreign detainees.
