According Freddy Roosemontthe director of the Foreigners’ Office in Belgium, ” the number of Cameroonian visa applicants has exploded in recent years; Cameroon is ahead of China, Morocco, Syria,…“. And most are motivated by “ asylum needs, but not for economic reasons “. Stating that in 2019, the kingdom recorded “ 445 asylum applications: in 2020, due to the Covid which restricted the movement of people around the world, the figures were completely cancelled; in 2021, 480 requests were registered; in 2022 we increased to 800 requests, and at the end of May, we are already at more than 1000 requests. But very few obtain refugee status, since they do not meet the criteria of the Geneva Convention“. What this senior Belgian leader does not understand: “ Cameroon is a stable country, there is no blind violence. I even think that the atmosphere is more peaceful here than in Belgium“. More curiously, remarks the man, rather than the English-speaking area which is in crisis, most asylum seekers are French-speaking and come from Douala and Yaoundé“. For the man, ” we can understand that Syrians, Ukrainians, Afghans, Palestinians, ask for asylum because of the war or the permanent violence, but it is rather the Cameroonians who steal the spotlight from them».
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The study visa knows the same situation: “ the number of student visa applications has also increased significantly; Cameroon alone accounts for a third of student visa applications received worldwide by Belgium; but many of these files have fake parts“. Hence the refusal that sanctions most of these files. And even when one has obtained the discharge as a student, ” our surveys reveal that many do not take the courses, do not come to the exams even though they are registered“. As a result, “some soimmediately sanctioned by an order to leave Belgium“, he underlines.
Caution
The situation is so alarming that Freddy Roosemont had to travel to Yaoundé to meet the Cameroonian authorities, then take the press to witness. This ” as part of a prevention mission concerning the real dangers of irregular migration to Belgium “, we underlined in the documentation given to the press. During a hearing on Tuesday, the director of the Foreigners’ Office in Belgium discussed with Lejeune Mbella Mbella the Minister of External Relations (Minrex) of Cameroon, in order to agree on the situation and the modalities of application of the migration agreements signed in 2017. “ People who use procedures (asylum or studies) to be able to stay in Belgium irregularly are sanctioned. In addition to an order to leave the territory, they can receive an entry ban for several years, which prevents them from traveling or staying in other countries of the European Union.“, we raise awareness.
Apparently, Brussels came to issue a warning before moving up a gear. By warning that ” the asylum and migration services in Belgium are currently saturated. Tens of thousands of cases are piling up, awaiting a case-by-case decision» ; or « processing times are very long for student visa applications“. SO ” under these conditions, it is impossible to guarantee student applicants an arrival in time for the start of the academic year or to take exams“, warn the Belgian authorities.
Pour Eric Jacqueminthe Belgian Ambassador to Cameroon, “ Belgium encourages migration, but legal, while strengthening legislation against illegal immigration“. The diplomat denies practices of torture against illegal immigrants. ” Belgium is a democratic country where freedoms are respected ». Et « deportation is the final stage of a process: once we get there, the person concerned is informed of his illegal situation, then he is offered a return with financial support so that he can reintegrate in his country, with a plane ticket. But generally Cameroonians refuse to return. It is when there is a failure in the discussions that the police come into play and have detention centers, then the person concerned is forcibly repatriated “, adds Freddy Roosemont the director of the Office for Foreigners in Belgium.
