BackThe Federal Ombudsman conducted an investigation on the functioning of the Immigration Office 9ter Division which deals with applications for residence on medical grounds. That investigation report has now been presented to Parliament.
The Federal Ombudsman’s investigation brought to light that the time it takes to process applications is haphazard and can vary considerably from one file to the next. There is no internal control system to ensure efficient monitoring of the time frame or to identify backlogged files.
The Federal Ombudsman recommends that a strict deadline be set to decide whether applications are admissible.
The investigation also tells us that the circumstances in which the physicians of the Immigration Office are expected to carry out their work do not always allow them to operate in line with medical ethics. The functioning of the medical assessment cell must be improved to guarantee the quality of the opinions and the equal treatment of applicants.
In the decision-making process, far too little consideration is given to an individual’s personal circumstances (sexual orientation, religion, ethnic origin...) and to the actual impact of the decision on children.
Continuity of care is not guaranteed when sick people, who had their residence application turned down, are deported.
The Federal Ombudsman’s investigation report contains 26 recommendations to improve the processing of applications for residence on medical grounds.
Source: The federal Ombudsman - BELGIUM
