Belgian family reunification immigration sharply rising

The number of immigrants coming into Belgium through family reunification or through marriage has gone up sharply the past few years. The total for the past 12 months is 31,342.

In Antwerp the number has jumped from 1,751 in 2002 to 4,348 in 2005. That is almost 250%. The reasons being the tough immigration laws in neighboring countries (ie, Netherlands), that are causing many people to go through Belgium.

The number of Dutch in Belgium has also jumped from 11,381 in 2002 to 21,868 in 2004, with a great number of them being of immigrant origin. In Antwerp the number of Dutch has also doubled in that same time period.
Source: De Morgen (Dutch)

See also: Belgian suffering from Dutch "family reunification" tourism, Belgium and Holland band against abuse of immigration rules, The Belgian Route

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