Immigration Office explores migration from Colombia

Our embassy in Bogotá (Colombia) put together a comprehensive programme for a migration liaison officer from the Immigration Office. She held meetings with Colombian authorities, several European embassies and international organisations. It was a huge success! The Colombian government launched an information campaign to explain how Colombians can travel to Europe through regular channels.

The Belgian Immigration Office (IO - FPS Home Affairs) is responsible, among other things, for monitoring the entry of foreign nationals into our territory. As such, it keeps a close watch on migration statistics to respond promptly to any irregularities.

547 asylum applications in 2024

The Immigration Office identified such an irregularity involving Colombians. In 2016, there were just 19 initial applications; by 2024, this had increased to 547. This trend may be related to the 2016 policy change that removed the visa requirement for Colombians travelling to Schengen countries. The 29 Schengen countries – mainly EU countries, but also non-EU countries like Switzerland – constitute an extensive area without internal border controls where people can travel freely.

This exemption enables Colombians to enter Belgium freely and stay for a maximum of three months, whether for tourism, business, or visiting relatives. In certain cases, people may seek asylum after the permitted stay has ended, often driven by economic motives. Some take part in undeclared work or, unfortunately, become caught up in human trafficking. There is also a notable group of overstayers—Colombians who stay in Belgium past the three-month period.  

This is reason enough for the Immigration Office to scrutinise the situation and carry out investigations in Colombia to determine the factors driving Colombians to Belgium. Accordingly, a Belgian migration liaison officer was set to travel to Bogotá, the capital, to undertake this assignment.

Cancillería

And this is where our embassy in Colombia comes in! Our colleagues were contacted by the Immigration Office, which communicated the information it aimed to gather. The embassy team supplied further background to the Immigration Office, then coordinated a programme and scheduled appointments and visits. This included a preparatory meeting with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also known as the Cancillería.

The mission took place between 31 March and 4 April 2025. It proved to be a rich and educational programme. Our embassy officer accompanied the liaison officer to all her meetings; for those at the Cancillería, the Belgian ambassador also took part.

The meeting at the Cancillería, held with the Directorate General of Bilateral and Consular Affairs, also included representatives from other Colombian agencies. For example, representatives from Migración Colombia — arguably the counterpart to Belgium’s Immigration Office — the police, the prosecutor’s office, and the diaspora programme Colombia Nos Une were present.

Information campaign

It was noticeable that the Colombians were very open to the visit and the concerns from Belgium. The authorities stressed their resolve to guarantee that migration remains safe, orderly, regular, and upholds human rights. They were also clearly keen to prevent the reinstatement of visa obligations.

The Colombians proposed an information campaign that would be spread on social media as early as the end of April. That proposal was in line with what the Immigration Office had in mind, namely: to clearly explain to the population how they can travel regularly to the Schengen countries. It highlights among other things the importance of adhering to the 90-day limit and cautions that irregular asylum claims could have serious repercussions.

Not black and white

The Belgian liaison officer also visited several European embassies in Bogotá facing similar challenges, including those of the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and the EU delegation. This provided an excellent opportunity to share experiences.

Meetings with international migration organisations were also included. As part of the visit, the Belgian delegation held discussions with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Labour migration was proposed by the IOM as a potential alternative. For instance, Colombians might be employed in elderly care, provided it does not harm Colombia’s healthcare sector.

The Belgian delegation also held meetings with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Both organisations noted the existence of unsafe areas in Colombia where violence has grown in recent years.

The ICRC reported that eight conflicts are presently active in Colombia, with various armed groups involved. As a result, Colombia remains the most hazardous country in the world for human rights defenders, according to UN statistics. So the situation is not black and white. Some Colombians unquestionably have the right to asylum.

Lastly, our embassy arranged a visit to El Dorado International Airport to observe the functioning of the Colombian migration service. Departing passengers are, for instance, singled out and questioned about the reasons for their travel to the EU or US. Arriving passengers, particularly those with issues like false passports, are also screened. The objective is clearly to restrict irregular migration to the greatest extent.

Memorandum of Understanding

Our embassy's programme was met with great appreciation by the liaison officer from the Immigration Office. Said officer was able to make useful contacts and gained a much better perspective. The quick roll-out of an information campaign by the Colombian government proved equally successful. A Memorandum of Understanding is currently being developed by the Immigration Office to set out, in clear terms, the cooperation on the return of individuals without legal residence in Belgium.

Now that contacts have been established, the Immigration Office is liaising directly with the Colombian authorities. Our embassy completed its assignment. That said, our colleagues are curious to see how the visit might affect the number of asylum applications, which will hopefully decrease.