The Minister hopes that by the end of the year thousands of asylum seekers will be given official status.

In March Minister Annemie Turtelboom gave instructions to regularise the paperwork of families that have school-going children and have been in Belgium for at least five years.

And so 981 families with school-going children have been regularised over the last three weeks. This means that the families have been given an official status and a residential permit to stay in Belgium. By the end of June some 1500-1600 people will have been given official status.

According to Annemie Turtelboom these are all people who were  already integrating and working on their future in Belgium.  Now they are finally receiving the papers they need to further integrate in Belgian society.

flandersnews.be/Expatica