Migration

Belgium has shown an increase in migrants in the past three decades from new Government policies and increased labor opportunities. These new migrants brought with them languages and cultural differences that naturally separated them from the native people of Belgium.  Because of this diversity the country split with the northern region as a (Dutch-speaking) area and the southern region as a (French-speaking) area.  The issuance of work permits exploded during the 1970s and this drove many foreigners to the country (Petrovic).  These have declined over the years since then.  Soon the permits landed in the hands of more skilled workers while Belgium also received more “European Union (EU) free movement workers, who live and work in Belgium but do not require work or residence permits under the European free movement legislation” (Petrovic). Citizens from the 27 EU Member States make up just over half of the total foreign population in Belgium” (Petrovic). 40 percent of the total immigrant population mostly comes from Italy, France, and the Netherlands, with Moroccans making up almost 8 percent of the population as well (Petrovic). To this day, Belgium is still imposing new policies and creating new plans for migration. Nowadays, the majority of Belgium’s migration is through local family connections outside the country, refugees, and students. A 2010 census showed 18 percent of the population as immigrants (Petrovic). This graph breaks down the number of different immigrants throughout the different regions of Belgium.

Table 1. Total Population by Nationality in Belgium

Belgian EU-27 Other Total Foreign Population Political Refugee Unknown Missing Total Belgium 9,832,010 746,972 372,284 1,119,256 2,801 2,456 802 10,951,266 Brussels Capital Region 766,744 221,482 130,862 352,344 616 1,135 99 1,119,088 Flanders 5,878,652 268,848 159,138 427,986 1,522 970 383 6,306,638 Wallonia 3,186,614 256,642 82,284 338,926 663 351 320 3,525,540 Source: National Statistics, population by nationality, January 1, 2011

Resources:

Petrovic, Milica. Belgium: A Country of Permanent Immigration. 15 November 2012. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/belgium-country-permanent-immigration/.