Belgium is the leader among the EU countries in terms of social protection, the opportunity to get a well-paid job. This opportunity is provided not only to the indigenous inhabitants of the state. After fulfilling certain conditions, immigrants can obtain the status of a permanent resident of Belgium. What advantages does this prospect give you and how can you get a permanent place of residence in the center of Europe as quickly as possible? We will try to answer these questions in essence.
Determination of Belgian permanent resident status
First, let’s define what the future status of an immigrant is. In fact, this is a resident of the European Union, who can apply for a job and permanently reside in the country without prior approval from the authorities. Correct name – Resident de longue durée UE/EG langdurig ingezeten. In another way, this is called a permanent residence permit. Additionally, the opportunity to receive social protection comes off – free medical care, savings in a personal pension fund, receiving basic or additional education.
Features of a permanent resident of Belgium, advantages and disadvantages:
- Obtaining a visa. The reasons are employment, refugee status, family reunification, business immigration program.
- Then you need to apply for a residence permit.
- Work permit.
- Labor market test. Depends on the chosen profession, but after 1 year of permanent work is not needed.
- You will not be able to take part in elections, vote or stand as a candidate for local, state authorities.
To obtain permanent residence status, you must first obtain a temporary residence permit. It is granted after meeting a number of conditions that depend on the reasons for the trip to Belgium – business immigration, refugees, employment. During your stay in the country there should be no problems with the law, all the rules are followed. Especially – knowledge of one or more state languages. In addition to this, the prospective permanent resident of Belgium must be familiar with the current legislation of the country.
Important: the decision to grant permanent residence may be negative if the applicant has provided erroneous or inaccurate information.
Methods for obtaining permanent residence
The main condition is that the future citizen must live in the country for at least 5 years. You can come to the country for work, education, family reunification or business immigration. The first option is the most common. However, it requires you to fulfill a number of conditions, which we will discuss below.
Work in the country
Depending on the place of work and position, the applicant can apply for a certain category of permit. The most convenient category is “A”. It does not have a time limit for staying in Belgium. However, to obtain it, you need to live in the country for at least 10 years, 4 of which you must work in Belgium or another EU country in category B. If you are married or married to a citizen, category A can be obtained after 1 year.
By permission B You can work for 1 year, but you cannot change employers. The category is extended if all parties to the employment contract agree to this. ” C ” applies to refugees, families of diplomats, students, people who are in the country temporarily. Also, for registration of a permanent resident of Belgium, you can use the Blue Card of the European Union, which is issued only for qualified specialists. It is also a residence permit in any country of the European Union.
Stages of obtaining permanent residence through work in Belgium.
- Learn one or more state languages – Dutch, French or German. An additional advantage for the applicant is a good knowledge of English.
- Job search. This can be done through intermediaries or specialized Internet resources, local press.
- Sign a preliminary employment contract with a Belgian company.
- Obtaining a work permit in Belgium for the selected category. The employee must do this on his own, submitting documents to the embassy or consulate in his country of residence.
- Applying for a work visa.
It is also a temporary residence permit in the state. If you are satisfied with the living conditions, income level and local infrastructure, you can apply for permanent residence in Belgium. After obtaining permission, you will become a permanent resident of the country.
Tip: consider several design options – education, work, investments. For analysis, it is recommended to calculate the form of immigrants, get advice from specialized lawyers.
Getting an education
Students who have enrolled in a full-time study at a Belgian university or university are provided with a temporary resident card for the entire period of study. However, it does not apply to distance learning. Before entering and interviewing, you need to prepare – learn English up to A-1 level or one of the state languages of the country, study the law. The interview takes place at the embassy or consulate, a certificate of enrollment in a higher educational institution is required.
In addition to tuition fees, it is necessary to provide guarantees of the possibility of living in the country – a bank statement on the state of the account, possible sponsors. Grants for foreign students are considered separately. At the time of submission of documents, a one-time fee of 700 Euros must be paid. It will not be returned after graduation.
After receiving a diploma of higher education, you can apply for a work visa. It will become the basis for registration of a permanent resident of Belgium. Usually students do this in their last or penultimate year of study. They enter into contracts with local companies, are recorded in the staff as employees. This will give you the opportunity to get a job right after your studies.
Important: checks of the student’s financial condition are done during the entire period of study. If living conditions do not meet local standards, student visa cancellation is possible.
Family reunion
Often a condition for obtaining a temporary residence permit in Belgium is family reunification. To do this, one of the close relatives, husband or wife must live in Belgium and have a permanent residence permit or citizenship of the country. To confirm family ties, documents are provided – a certificate of marriage, birth, recognition of paternity or motherhood. They will become the basis for further stay in the country legally.
Conditions for obtaining the status of a permanent resident of Belgium under the family reunification program:
- The residence permit is issued for 12 months, it can be extended.
- A resident of Belgium must be obliged to confirm the financial ability to support a relative before applying for a job or receiving benefits.
- Confirm the availability of living space for living. It can be a property, a rented apartment or a house.
- The host party is fully responsible for the actions of the future citizen of the country.
After obtaining permits after 5 years, a relative can apply for the status of a permanent resident of Belgium. To do this, you must comply with all formalities, comply with the requirements of immigration law. The state is in control. Violations lead to expulsion, and the host may be fined.
Tip: a citizen with permanent residence or citizenship of the country can only accept one relative for 1 year.
Business immigration
Belgian law provides for the possibility of business immigration for citizens of foreign countries. The essence of the program is to invest in the country’s economy, opening a new company or buying a local company. The condition is that the manager must be a permanent resident of Belgium, which is documented. His salary should not be less than 30 thousand euros per year. Additionally, a minimum of 2 Belgian citizens are accepted for work.
In addition to standard documents, the embassy or consulate provides a detailed business plan in English or one of the official Belgian languages. The minimum amount on a bank account is 18500 Euro. It is possible to buy a ready-made business in Belgium. For this option, you also need to meet all the conditions for the employment of local citizens. After the completion of registration and the start of entrepreneurial activity, a residence permit is issued for a period of 1 year. It can be extended after verification by government authorities.
It is important to comply with Belgian labor laws and make tax deductions on time. To do this, it is recommended to hire a local accountant or an accounting service company. The income tax from such activities is 30% of the total income.
You can quickly get the status of a permanent resident of Belgium with permanent residence by investing in the economy. The amount of investment is at least 1 million Euros, a residence permit is issued immediately after all documentation is completed. After a year, the status can be extended if the investment conditions are maintained.
The procedure for obtaining the status of a permanent resident of Belgium
After obtaining the status of a residence permit, in order to obtain citizenship or a permanent resident of Belgium, you need to live in the country for at least 5 years. During this period, there should be no violations of the law, you will be checked for living conditions, timely payment of taxes and other mandatory fees. Before collecting documents, you need to find out the amount of the state duty. It depends on the chosen region of residence and is set individually. The list of required documents for registration can be found at the representative office of the Belgian Migration Service or on the official website of the organization.
Standard list of documents for submission to the migration service for permanent residence:
- Application and completed form. You can take the form of the latter at the representative offices of the migration service or download it on the website.
- Original passport and copies of all pages.
- Autobiography written in one of the state languages of the country.
- 2 photos 40×50 in color.
- Birth, marriage, divorce certificates or other documentation confirming family ties with another Belgian citizen.
- Valid temporary residence permit.
- Confirmation of payment of the state fee.
- Copies of documents.
All documents, certificates and extracts from other countries must be translated and notarized. The term for consideration of the application depends on the previous status of the applicant and can be 1-2 months. After confirmation and a positive response, you will be granted the status of a permanent resident of Belgium.
But you need to be prepared for a refusal, which is argued by a violation of Belgian law, erroneous or false information that was submitted in the documents. In this case, the revision of the status will be complicated. Public services will carefully check the new information.
