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Illegal
A person who is in the country without valid documents is without legal residence. Some people have documents that are no longer valid, others have none at all.
Blue passport
To travel abroad, you need a valid electronic residence card and a travel document. As a recognised refugee, you cannot apply for a passport at the embassy of your country of origin. You can apply to the municipality for a special travel document for refugees, also known as a 'blue passport'.
Student Guidance Centres (CLB / PMS)
A student guidance centre consists of a team of doctors, nurses, psychologists, pedagogues and social workers. Every school works together with a CLB/PMS.
The CLB/PMS is responsible for medical school supervision, but as a parent or student you can also go there for free help with learning difficulties, psychological and social problems. If you have a question, you can ask it through the school or directly to the CLB/PMS.
Vacancy
An available job within a company, an organisation or a public service that is open to jobseekers. Vacancies appear as advertisements in newspapers, in the windows of temporary employment agencies and on the internet.
Sham marriage
A marriage in which at least one of the spouses only marries in order to obtain a right of residence in a country and not to live together with the other person.
Cohabitation contract
A cohabitation contract is an agreement between two or more persons who have a shared household.
LRI / ILA / LOI
Local Reception Initiative. A group of houses managed by the OCMW/CPAS in a municipality where asylum seekers and refugees are housed.
Minor
A person younger than 18 years old.
Student worker
A student (secondary school or higher education) who also has a job in addition to their studies. Specific rules apply to student jobs. You must be at least 15 years old.
Public spaces
Public spaces are areas that are accessible to everyone. Most public spaces are in the open air.
The CGRS (CGRA/CGVS) can end your refugee status, for example if you have a new nationality or if you go to live in the country where you feared persecution. If you committed fraud during the investigation, the CGRS may also revoke your status.
If, as an asylum seeker, you are not staying in a reception centre, you can still get medical assistance.
Asylum seekers must respect the rules of the reception centre.
Yes, any foreign national who arrives in Belgium can submit an application for international protection (asylum application) to the Belgian authorities.
Belgium has a free service that monitors the health of all children under the age of 3. You can also ask questions about your pregnancy, the development of your child, and raising him or her.
Every recognised school in Flanders works together with a Student Guidance Centre (CLB/PMS). Parents and students can go there free of charge with questions about learning, education and health.
Most shops in Belgium are open from 10am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Shops are closed on Sundays.
In Belgium, you need to sort waste into different coloured waste bags. The colours and bags are different for each municipality or city.