The federal government will begin phasing out the accommodation of asylum seekers in hotels, announced Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA).
Van Bossuyt stated that the reception of asylum seekers should remain humane yet modest, providing shelter without resorting to hotel rooms. This comes as the number of asylum seekers has significantly decreased due to government policy, she explained to VTM NIEUWS.
The drop in asylum applications is particularly notable in months that typically see higher numbers, with a 21% decrease in September and an anticipated 38% decline in October based on current data. Van Bossuyt added that the total number of asylum requests this year is expected to fall below last year’s figure of 40,000.
Early projections this year from the Chain Monitoring Unit predicted asylum applications could reach 50,000 by 2025 if the previous government’s policies remained unchanged. However, the current government’s measures appear to have curtailed the influx.
Approximately 380 people are currently staying in hotel rooms. While Van Bossuyt did not provide a definitive timeline for discontinuing this practice, she expressed her intention to end it as quickly as possible. Following the termination of hotel accommodations, the government aims to close local reception initiatives and later begin reducing capacity at collective centres.
Van Bossuyt criticised the previous government for implementing hotel reception as an emergency measure, arguing it was necessitated by an overstressed reception system caused by earlier policies. She stated these measures are no longer justifiable and reiterated her commitment to more modest, sustainable reception solutions. According to the minister, offering hotel rooms creates misunderstandings among citizens and can encourage additional asylum applications.
