Federal migration centre Myria has called on the government to stop revoking the Belgian nationality of children of Palestinian descent born in Belgium.
This request follows a report published on Thursday by the national migration centre. Since the summer of 2023, dozens of children of Palestinian origin born in Belgium suddenly have had their Belgian nationality taken away.
It happened due to a change in the National Register by the civil registrar, prompted by a letter from the Immigration Office (DVZ).
Without reservation, the letters stated that these children have Palestinian nationality, and therefore instructed municipalities to revoke the Belgian nationality of these children. A ministerial spokesperson had previously confirmed the situation was not related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In January 2024, the federal ombudsman asked the DVZ to immediately cease ordering municipalities to revoke these children's Belgian nationality.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also reminded authorities that possessing a passport does not automatically imply that a child has a specific nationality.
On Thursday, Myria claims that the authorities have ignored these requests. The migration centre now urges a review of the nationality revocations and, where necessary, the restoration of nationality.
It also criticises a proposal to increase registration fees for the nationality procedure. In 2023, just over 55,000 people were granted Belgian nationality, the federal body reported.
Individuals from non-EU countries have a higher chance of obtaining protection. People from Syria (13.2%), Afghanistan (11.8%), and Iraq (17.2%) are most likely to receive protection.
