Due to the recent significant increase of family reunification applications, pending family reunification applications filed by a family member of a third-country national and those filed on or after July 8, 2016 will take nine months to process, instead of the current six months, according to a change in law. Immigration authorities may also extend the processing time twice for three months at a time.
The extended processing times apply to in-country applications and long-term family reunification visa applications filed separately from the principal applicant’s visa application.
What This Means for Foreign Nationals
Dependents of third-country nationals who file their long-term family reunification applications at a Belgian diplomatic post separately from the principal applicant’s visa application will have to wait nine months to receive a decision on their visa application. Dependents of third-country nationals who file their long-term family reunification applications in Belgium will also have to wait nine months to receive a decision, and, as a result, will be subject to additional travel restrictions during the processing period.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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