Togolese woman previously threatened with expulsion now authorised to finish school year in Belgium

The Immigration Office revealed to Belga that they decided, on Tuesday, to postpone the expulsion of the 19-year-old Togolese until July 2015. The student, who was told last March that she had 30 days to leave Belgium, will therefore be allowed to finish the last year of her education at the Andree Thomas School in Forest. She had been given a temporary residence permit under the principle of family reunification, but left the family home last February, to escape abuse from her father. The faculty of her school rallied to support her and sent a joint letter to Theo Francken (N-VA), Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration and Administrative Simplification.

On Tuesday afternoon the Head of the Immigration Office re-examined her case and decided to postpone the order until July 2015 on “humanitarian grounds”. The young woman from Togo will therefore be able to finish her sixth year and graduate in Belgium.

“This decision was made because these are exceptional circumstances”, added Dominique Ernould, spokesperson for the Immigration Office. “Next July we will re-examine her case in view of the law and of various parameters: whether she passes her exams and wants to carry on studying, for example.”

(Source: Belga)


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