Code: AMIF-057-083
Project duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2027
Budget: €700,000.00 (€525,000 by AMIF & €175,000 through the national budget)
Context & objectives
Although the definition of circular migration is not fixed, the following elements are present: it is mainly study migration and/or labour migration where migration serves to acquire knowledge and experience and which is used in the country of origin to increase employment opportunities. Funding projects around circular migration fits into the European Commission's new migration and asylum pact. Supporting well-managed legal migration is one of the EU's goals. The EU is committed to facilitate and support legal migration and mobility.
In addition, Belgian migration policy intends to continue along the path of project development on circular labour migration, as mentioned in the coalition agreement and the policy statement of the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration of 12 July 2022. The Immigration Department funded and implemented a project with Tunisia and the IOM (March 2018-December 2019) that was positively evaluated.
The aim now is to start pilot projects with chosen countries in which different concepts may be possible, adapted to the local labour market and the chosen target group. These projects include pre-departure preparation, follow-up in Belgium and reintegration in the country of origin. These are mainly projects with countries outside the EU scope for funding legal projects due to geographical limitation, internal decision-making or financial threshold.
The emphases here are to strengthen the labour market with workers we need now, increase the skills of the participating third-country nationals and the country of origin that can use the third-country national's skills afterwards. Such projects also serve to support and develop the migration dialogue with countries of origin.
(version 21 July 2024)