Whether you are a newcomer in Belgium, a foreigner who has been living here for a quite some time, a Belgian or just someone who is not living here but interested in Belgian culture, here are some Facebook Groups where you can “Join Group” and participate in online discussions or to ask questions.

There are many Facebook Groups in Belgium out there. Therefore, I am not going to list out all. The emphasis is for newcomers and expats living in Belgium regarding questions about integration, life in Belgium and seeking a solution, opinion or a recommendation for their day-to-day life.

Generally, event postings on these Facebook Groups are popular. It creates awareness of the activities happening in their neighbourhood or some other cities. People can visit new recommended places and find enjoyable things to do. Attending events is a big plus to spice up the daily mundane life.

Differences between Facebook GROUP and Facebook PAGE

Let’s go back to the basics. What is the difference between Facebook Group and Facebook Page? If you already know the difference, you may skip this section.

Facebook Group

People who join Facebook Groups are those that have a common interest in a subject, discussing and interacting among members. The moderator can set the privacy level of the Facebook Group to ‘open’, ‘close’ or ‘secret’. If the setting is not ‘open’, members have to request permission to join to look at the group posts or to start a discussion.

Facebook Groups usually have their set of rules on the type of things to post and what not to post set by the group moderators. There is usually moderation on the posts before the admin allows the questions or information to go live as prevention for spams and unwanted advertisement.

Notification: Whenever someone starts a discussion, you will receive a notification immediately. You can change the notification setting to “Off”, “Friends’ Posts” or “Highlights”. Select “Highlights” if you find that the Facebook Group is too active and you have been receiving too many Facebook notifications.

Facebook Page

A Facebook Page is a platform to receive information on your Facebook Page whenever you ‘like’ a Facebook Page. It is a company or any individual to advertise, promote or to create awareness of their products.

It is not a place for you to start a discussion usually. Well, you can still post a question on Facebook Page, but the display of your question is not on the main thread. Visitors’ posting is usually at a small corner in the sidebar which is not highly visible especially on mobile view.

Notification: You will not receive a notification from Facebook Page. It appears together with the posts of your friends as a feed whenever there is a posting. You may or may not see it. However, if you like a particular Facebook Page and would not want to miss any of it, you can change the setting on it. On the top menu, under “Following”, select “See First”. Those Facebook Pages that you have prioritised will be displayed on the “News Feed” section before other Pages.

12 Top Facebook Groups in Belgium

Here are some of the top Facebook Groups in Belgium that I have scooped out from Facebook which has a significant number of members. That is also one of the reasons why there is a lot of active interaction among the expatriates. The latest members’ update is in November 2018.

Life in Belgium (26,916 members)

Life in Belgium is by far the largest and fastest-growing discussion group found online based on the number of members it has. The most distinct feature about this Facebook Group is that it has no moderation unless someone spams or breaks their house rule. Your post will go live immediately upon posting.

So, it will reduce your waiting time in getting a response from the members. The topic revolves around anything in Belgium although many members come mostly from Brussels. Hence, most discussions revolve around the capital which is not a surprise. No advertisement or any sort of event posting allowed though. It will likely be deleted later.

Expats in Brussels (22,920 members)

For people living in Brussels, Expats in Brussels is a useful Facebook Group to ask questions about life in Brussels. There are not too many events posted here. So, your question would get more attention from people who in turn can give you a faster solution. On the other hand, posts that are non-related to Brussels may not be approved by the moderator. No housing advertisement allowed here.

Expats in Belgium (XiB) – (15,169 members)

Expats in Belgium (XiB) seems to be a more generic title for immigrants living in Belgium although the highlights of many posts are in Brussels. The group encourages the expatriates to share their experiences, reviews and recommendation of any sorts and event activities in Belgium. One can also post apartment rentals, commercial products and services. Selling ads posting on used items are not allowed as they do not want to be seen like a flea market. Public profile with a connection to Belgium ought to be visible to get approval for joining.

Whats Happening Belgium? (14,505 members)

Whats Happening Belgium? The moderator, Mike Chamber is an open-minded man. He allows members to post anything they want. Subjects include advertisements and sales of goods which are usually not welcomed in other Facebook Groups. The good thing is that members of this group did not misuse the advantage and start spamming it with dull ads. Advertisements of such sort are minimal.

The only requirement is that all links and information have to be relevant to life in Belgium. Mike Chamber is very active in posting a lot of events happening in Belgium daily, not confining just to Brussels. So, you will always get a good dose of the latest activities in Flanders and Wallonie as well.

If you post something to the group, he approves pretty fast too. I would say he responds the swiftest and has the highest reliability among all Facebook Group moderators who can take days for approval to the natural death of the post. Whats Happening Belgium?, one of my favourite Belgium Facebook Groups which I check out regularly for articles too.

Pangaea – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (14,098 members)

Leuven is a student city in Belgium. The Pangaea – Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Face Group is for former, present and future Pangaea members to share information and to ask questions. The setting of this Facebook Group focuses on KU University, internship and life of a student. But that is not all about it. You can also find housing advertisements, workshops, activities in Leuven and also some other cities.

Expats in Antwerp (12,438 members)

Expats in Antwerp was the first group I joined in 2014 while studying in France. I was not living in Belgium then. At that time, the Facebook Group had only 1,000+ members. What remains unchanged until today is the spontaneity of the members responding to questions. The Group does not allow spamming, recruiting, propaganda and politics.

The moderation policy is rather strict. They may not publish the post not related to Antwerp. It also has to depend on which moderator is looking at your post. The moderator, Maroun Kay and his team hold a monthly meet-up session at one of the bars in Antwerp. It is a wonderful way to meet other expatriates who just arrived in Belgium.

Brussels Connected (11,644 members)

Brussels Connected aims to connect people in Brussels and over Belgium through their page. It encourages people to help one another by giving input to questions. The Facebook Group does not emphasise strictly on events happening in Brussels but also welcomes events happening all over Belgium. Advertising such as selling of items, rental of houses and services are allowed but do not overdo it. Overall, you get a good mix of everything since the rules are reasonable and not that strict.

Brussels Expat (9,685 members)

The Facebook Group, Brussels Expat is an extension for its members on the Facebook Page Brussels Expats. The founder of both sites is Jil Kesh. He owns a pub, Apéro Afterwork which he creates an event for the expat to meet there every Wednesday. The Facebook Group has a good mix of both events and discussions among members. Housing advertisement is permitted here.

Interactive Expats Brussels (7,509 members)

About 90% of the posts on Interactive Expats Brussels are Events in Brussels. You can always find something to do in Brussels and be on the move to somewhere else. You get the information mostly in the English language. Sometimes the postings are in French. A fabulous website if you are learning French and exposing to a few French articles here. The Facebook Group does not allow real estate ads and classified.

Expats in Gent, Belgium (4,931 members)

There are two Expats Groups in Ghent which I have found. Expats in Gent, Belgium is the bigger group among the two. I think the same team of people operate both groups because the screening process for new members is strict and has the same entry questions. As long as the moderator does not see your Facebook location reflecting ‘Ghent’, they would send an email to verify the reason for joining. They would also reiterate that no advertisement or spamming was allowed.

I understand the intention is to filter out potential spammers. However, the strict rule also means that fewer events would be posted as it might be considered a form of advertisement as well and get deleted off in the screening process. Expect the activities and related conversation to confine within Ghent city and less active due to the restriction.

Turkish Expats in Belgium (892 members)

For Turkish living in Brussels or other parts of Belgium, the Turkish Expats in Belgium is the largest group on Facebook with 600 over members offering advice and regular events to the Turkish in Belgium. Due to the language used, the Turkish Group is unique because they will strictly accept only Turkish immigrants living in Belgium and also to maintain their unique identity.

Turkish Expats in Leuven (221 members)

I tried to break the rule to join the Turkish Expats in Leuven but ended up having a short conversation with the friendly founder, Murat Pak to find out more about the Turkish Group. Most members are PhD, Postdoc and Research Engineer working at IMEC. Turkish is the language used.

90% of the information inside the Turkish Facebook Group are on events sharing. There would be some meetups every week ranging from 10 to 20 people. The event venue is usually in a bar drinking and chatting. Members are free to post an event, advertisement or ask a question. According to him, there are no hard and fast rules for this group.

Conclusion

Although the Facebook Groups in Belgium mentioned above are for expatriates, there is quite a handful of Belgians inside the groups who can assist in answering some questions or to post their events online. Hence, with all these Facebook Groups, you have no problem staying connected in any parts of Belgium. For things to do in Belgium monthly, check out the post.

Dutch (NT2) as Second Language in Belgium

Do you want to learn about the Dutch Language in Belgium? The Dutch course offered is NT2 (Nederlands als Tweede Taal) which means “Dutch as a Second Language”. Dutch is one of the three official languages of Belgium other than French and German.

It is spoken by the northern part of Belgium which is the Flanders region. Flemish is a dialect variety arising from the Dutch language spoken by approximately 6 million people in the Flanders area. In different Flemish cities, the dialects are not the same too. As a result, Dutch is the common language understood by all the Flemish.

For the first part of the article, there is an introduction to the Civic Integration Programme in the Flanders region of Belgium. Therefore, as learning Dutch is part of the Integration Programme, I have highlighted the importance of this integration policy mandatory by law and the registration process.

Huis van het Nederlands

The language institution responsible for learning the Dutch language is Huis van het Nederlands (House of Dutch). You will be able to find one in every city of Flanders and in Brussels too. There is no centralised website for Huis van het Nederlands in Flanders. Every province and even some cities have their own websites.

You can find Huis van het Nederlands location and opening hours of the cities by selecting from the provinces below.

In Antwerp, the situation changed since two years ago. People who are interested in learning the Dutch language no longer go through Huis van het Nederlands. Instead, they go directly to Altas – Integratie en Inburgering Antwerpen for registration of both the Dutch Course and the Social Integration Programme.

If a student has already had some knowledge of Dutch before, he has to take a language proficiency test from the Huis van het Nederlands to assess his level of Dutch so as to place him at the appropriate level.

The general name of the school is CVO (Centrum Voor Volwassenenonderwijs) which means ‘Centre for Adult Education’. To locate the CVO of where you reside, include your city when you search online. That is ‘CVO + Your City’.

Full Course Rate or Subsidised Rate?

There are two groups of people taking the Dutch Language Course with regards to paying a full course fee and receiving a subsidy from the government.

1) Full Course Rate

The first group of people pays a full course rate. They are not permanent residents in Belgium. These people can be tourists on social visits for a limited period or people who come to Belgium to study the Dutch language.

Or, they can also be residents who have not yet received the Orange Card yet but want to make use of their time to learn the Dutch language in the meanwhile. They can take the Dutch Language Course in private schools or universities in the meanwhile.

2) Subsidised Course Rate

The second group of people pays a subsidised course rate provided by the Flemish Government. They go to a CVO school. To enjoy the reduced rate, one has to produce a Belgian identification card or an Orange Card because it has a Belgian National Number.

Therefore, the subsidisation from the government signifies that the Dutch classes are part of the Integration Programme. However, bound by regulation, the students have to meet the minimum attendance requirement in class.

EU citizens can also take the Dutch course with a subsidised rate, provided that they have signed an integration agreement with the integratie and inburgering agency. In other words, they are obligated to attend the Social Integration Course too.

Is Learning Dutch Language Really Free?

The term “free Dutch course” used widely by netizens is often slightly misleading. As long as one has to pay something such as the course material, it is never free. In fact, the Flemish Government subsidised heavily on the Dutch lessons as part of the Civic Integration Programme for most people.

Flemish Government Subsidy

Under the Civic Integration Programme, it is compulsory to attend two terms of Dutch Language Courses – Level A1 (1.1) and A2 (1.2). Subsequently, it is optional for the students whether they want to advance to a higher level from B1 (2.1) onwards. Additionally, the Flemish Government will continue to offer the Dutch Course subsidy up to Level 2.4. In Antwerp, the full course rate of the Dutch course is €108. With the Government’s grant, one will pay the course material fee not exceeding €36.

Course Intensity

One level of Dutch course is typically 120 hours. For the slower learners or people with lower education, the duration will go up to 180 or 240 hours per level (for level 1.1 and 1.2 only). They would require more time to learn the Dutch language. There are three or more types of schedules with different intensity for the Dutch courses. Thus, the students can choose the schedule based on their availability. On the other hand, the Dutch Course timing offered in every city is not the same so check with your agency again.

1) Super Intensive Course

• 1-month duration: 4 days per week, 6 hours per day
• Morning (9 am to 12 am) and afternoon (1 pm to 4 pm)
• Available for Dutch Language Level 1.1 and 1.2 only

2) Intensive Course

• 2-months duration: 4 days per week, 3 hours per session
• Select your preferred timing – Morning (9 am to 12 am), afternoon (1 pm to 4 pm) or night (6.30 pm to 9.30 pm)

3) Less Intensive Course

• 4-months duration: 1 day per week, 3 hours per session
• Select your preferred timing – Morning (9 am to 12 am), afternoon (1 pm to 4 pm) or night (6.30 pm to 9.30 pm)

The most popular choice for many people to learn Dutch is the Intensive Course, particularly at the first two levels (1.1 and 1.2). The number of days varies between different cities and schools. Some schools offer 2 or 4 days per week of lessons. Your Programme Counsellor would be able to advise the most suitable schedule when you register at Atlas or Huis van het Nederlands.

The bizarre thing is that you would not be able to find the course schedules of your desired locations for most of the CVO websites. That is if you want to plan in advance. That is to say that the date selection of the Social Integration Course and the Dutch Language Course are conducted in the agency like Atlas in Antwerp.

The staffs at the Agency will go through the available time slot and CVO locations together with you. You choose the schedule for either or both the courses on the spot. Besides being mandatory for Civic Integration Programme purpose, Dutch Level 1.2 is also the minimum level required to apply for Belgian citizenship in future.

Long Waiting List for Dutch Language Courses in Atlas

There is one more thing to take note for Atlas Antwerpen and some other cities with a lot of newcomers. It is common to wait several months later for attending a Dutch Language Course due to the high volume of registration. One advice to speed up your Dutch Course enrolment process is to register immediately upon receiving your Orange Card or residence permit.

Firstly, there is a waiting time to get an appointment date in Atlas to talk to the Programme Counsellor. Secondly, the classes are always full. So, you have to grab the earliest commencement date available for the Dutch Course even if the distance is slightly away from your house.

Documentatiecentrum Atlas, Antwerp

After the Civic Integration Program registration at Atlas House, I was recommended by the lady to take a look in the library at the backyard of Atlas Building. She further emphasised that the library had a lot of resources to help people to learn and improve their Dutch language. The image profile is the Documentatiecentrum Atlas in Antwerp.

Following the recommendation, I went to the library, Documentatiecentrum Atlas and approached the counter staff. The lady was warm and helpful to explain the membership that they have. Furthermore, she showed me the type of books and audio material that they have to help improve the Dutch language.

» Membership

It costs only €5 to have a 1-year membership. The renewal is annual. One person can borrow up to 7 items consisting of books and audio material altogether. The loan period is three weeks. After which, it can be renewed one more time for another three weeks in person, by phone or online. Do consider the membership since it has a lot of books for doing grammar and reading comprehension exercises. Even the Public library like Permeke Antwerpen does not have so many resources at this library.

My Dutch Language Class

In one of the CVO school in Antwerp which I am currently attending the beginner course, I took the intensive class that runs for two months. After the end of Dutch Course Level 1.1., the school will continue directly with Level 1.2 with the same teacher. Given that the students pass Level 1.1 and want to advance to 1.2. The registration for Level 1.2 will take place only after the examination. So, this time, the students do not have to go back to Huis van het Nederlands or Atlas for registration. They can do it directly with the school.

GO! CVO Antwerpen – Infofilm NT2

This informative video with English subtitle from CVO Antwerpen will briefly explain what students can expect when they enrol for a Dutch Language Course through CVO school in different modules.

Video Length: 2m 23s

CVO Antwerpen – LBC-NVK | Valentine’s Day Celebration 2017 – Ik Hou Van Jou

On Valentine’s Day Eve, CVO LBC-NVK Antwerpen celebrated this romantic day with a beautiful song – Ik Hou Van Jou (I love you). Towards the end of the song, the singer invited the students to say the words in their native language. Video recorded in High-Definition.

Video Length: 3m 51s

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Social Integration Course

Also known as Inburgering in Dutch, the Social Integration Course equips participants with essential knowledge about living in Belgium. As a result, they can integrate more easily into the society and a better picture of what is happening in Belgium.

Some web pages are difficult to find online for a newbie who does not understand the native foreign language yet. At least after the Social Integration Course, they know where to google the information online since many links are either in Dutch or French.

Check out the introductory article on Civic Integration Programme and Programme Counsellor on how to register for the Social Integration Course and Dutch as the Second Language (NT2) in Belgium.

Inburgering Course Outline

The Inburgering Social Integration Course is free and takes 60 hours. It is conducted using the native language of the participant since there will be intense interaction with others in the class.

Some of the subjects of interests are as below. While you go through the list of 15 topics, kindly take part in the poll too. Select not more than 10 topics that you would like to know more about the integration course. The result will be shown after you have voted.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The list above is non-exhaustive. It gives you an idea of what this Inburgering Social Integration Program is all about. The instructor cannot cover every topic due to time constraint. The course outline is different in every city too.

The instructor customises the Social Integration Programme according to the need and request of the group that he has. The duration of the integration programme can range from 3 weeks to 3 months according to the learning ability. The instructor can increase or slow down the learning pace accordingly.

Number of Participants

Antwerp, having the largest population in Flanders, it is not surprising that the number of participants in a social integration class can go up to more than 20 people. Due to a large number of interested or obligated people, their social orientation course can be grouped according to their education level. Consequently, such a grouping will determine a different time length for the social orientation course after their assessment.

In smaller cities where there are not many new migrants, it may not be possible to have such segregation based on cognition. That is to say that everyone would be taking the same course regardless of the educational background. One friend living in another Flemish city had only 7 participants in her Social Orientation Class.

I had four weeks of Inburgering Programme, four times a week. Each session lasts for three hours per day. I registered the Social Integration Course in October 2016. However, I could only start my class end of January 2017. Nearly four months of waiting. All the Social Orientation Courses over the next few weeks were full.

During certain periods, expect to be put on a waiting list. Or perhaps, a confirmation date which is many months ahead particularly in bigger cities where there are a lot more new migrants compared to smaller cities.

My Integration Course and Instructor

My Inburgering Social Integration Course was in Sint-Katelijnevest 54. The instructor, Raj, is a Nepalese and a naturalised Belgian. Since he has lived in Belgium for over a decade, he is knowledgeable about the social and political changes over the years. As such, he provides practical information for expats since he was once like us, a migrant in Belgium.

Being an expat himself who conducts over hundreds of Inburgering Courses, he understands the needs of most newcomers. The type of questions that most people want to know when they first relocate to Belgium. At the end of the day, he would email us all the useful links as a recap of the lesson covered. Even when one has forgotten everything months and years later, the web links will come handy in searching for the information.

I was lucky to be in an Inburgering class of 25 people from 20 nationalities. It was one of the classes that had the most diverse cultures. We had fun in the discussion and also some fierce debates arising from different backgrounds and cultural differences. That was the aim of a fruitful discussion. Be open-minded. The first step in learning to live with the differences of another 180 nationalities in Belgium.

Raj also invited speakers from the Belgian Federal Police, his ex-student who works in an MNC company to give tips on writing a job CV and answering common questions during a job interview. We also had a discussion with the Belgian students from the University about their life here. It was a golden opportunity to ask them questions about living in Belgium as a native.

End of Inburgering Course

Finally, at the end of the Social Integration Course, each of us will undergo an interview with Raj and our Programme Counsellor. It is not a test and has no grade. The interview session requires the student to give his plan on finding a job relating to the type of job that he wants to do in the future. The student has to describe how is he going to carry out his task too. During this time, the students can ask any questions which they did not have a chance to do so in class.

On the last day of receiving the Certificate of Integration, we had a treasure hunt on the street. That was the most fun of all. The idea was to grab people on the street that fit into a list of profile given by Raj. Subsequently, get them to answer a question from the questionnaire given to every team. Eventually, one alphabet from each answer will form the name of a street which would be the final destination of the treasure hunt.

Usually, everyone will receive a certificate of integration on the last day of the course, unless he did not meet the attendance requirement or was not cooperative in class. On that day, we have a potluck too. Everyone will bring some food from his country of origin preferably. As you can see from the profile picture, there was some leftover food. Not forgetting the photo-taking session and to remember each and every classmate for life.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Raj for his dedication and effort to make the Social Orientation Course as entertaining and practical as possible. Hence, I looked forward to going to his lessons every morning.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Integration Quiz – How Well Do You Know Belgium and Flanders?

How well do you know Belgium and Flanders? I came across an interesting quiz with 16 questions (too bad… the quiz has been removed by the organizer →) from Flanders News. It will take less than 2 minutes of your time. I scored 13/16 on my first attempt. Will you score better than me?

Lastly, please let us know your score through the poll below by pressing the appropriate points. No registration required and strictly anonymous. The result will be shown after your vote. Have fun!

     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Who Needs Civic Integration Programme in Belgium? What is that?

In the Flanders region of Belgium, all non-EU new migrants residing in the Flemish community for more than three months are obliged to undergo a Civic Integration Programme. As for the EU citizens, the programme is optional for them.

On the other hand, the unusual trait is that immigrants residing in Wallonia have no obligation to follow such an Integration Programme. In another word, it is solely the initiative of the Flemish Government.

The Civic Integration Program consists of two separate modules which can run concurrently or separately depending on the chosen schedules:

Importance of Civic Integration Programme

Why is it Important to take the Civic Integration Programme? Here are some practical reasons to kickstart your interest in it.

1) Know More about Belgium and Its Culture

In the Social Orientation Course (NL: inburgering), newcomers would find it useful to understand some of the facts and practices in Belgium. Thus, they would settle better in Flanders receiving the valuable information. The integration programme will also focus on your residing city and current happening too.

2) Increase Job Employability

The Flemish Government spends money and resources on new immigrants to attend Dutch courses. Consequently, this is to facilitate them to find a job with less difficulty and better acceptance from the employers. Without the knowledge of the Dutch language, it is near to impossible to find a decent job or something that you really like to do. Almost all the jobs in the Flemish labour market requires one to speak Dutch up to an acceptable level.

People who can also speak French has an added advantage. Therefore, I am referring to the majority of the Belgians who can manage three languages fluently – Dutch, French and English. Despite that, there are some professions in Belgium in which speaking Dutch is not mandatory. One good example is the IT industry where the technical skill sets are more in demand rather than the language requirement.

3) Make New Friends

You will meet newcomers from all walks of life in both the Social Orientation Course and the Dutch Courses. They may or may not share the same kind of background similar to you. Some live in Belgium for a few years whereas some are here for a few months. Nevertheless, the Civic Integration Programme gives an excellent opportunity to form some genuine friendships out of this group of people.

4) Social Interaction

How is it like to interact with others who have a different background entirely? We open up our view of other cultures, mentalities and the way they think about certain topics. Due to differing perspectives, we learn to handle disagreement in a more positive light. From the courses followed, I understand particularly more about refugees and their situations. They have circumstances of not what I have perceived previously.

5) Integration Policy Obligation

It is mandatory for non-EU citizens to comply with the integration policy regardless of whether they like to attend the courses or not. Those who do not comply may get a fine from the government for not following the law.

The immigrants in Brussels Capital have no obligation to attend the integration programme at this moment. So, it is an optional choice for them. But soon, in 2018, they may have to undergo the Civic Integration Course if the bill passes through successfully.

To administrate the requirement, one legislation that kicked in on the 25 January 2017 requires all new migrants to provide evidence for their integration effort in Belgium. Henceforth, the Immigration Office can end a person right to stay in Belgium for non-compliance after the date.

In addition to the existing law, the other proposed law not gazetted yet is for migrants outside the EU to sign an integration pledge obligatorily. Likewise, failing to comply with the new law will lead to a termination of residency rights in Belgium.

Civic Integration Programme Registration

In the interest of learning Dutch in Belgium, one does not register directly with the CVO schools for the Dutch Language Course. Firstly, always go to an association that organises the Integration Programme. In Antwerp, the Atlas, Integratie & Inburgering Antwerpen is the place to register for the Civic Integration Programme for both the Social Integration and the Dutch Language Courses.

Similarly, in Brussels, BON – Agentschap Integratie & Inburgering would be able to provide directions to both the mentioned courses. For the Civic Integration Programme of all other cities, check out the main website of Agentschap Integratie & Inburgering which provides you with all the office contact details in Flanders.

For newcomers who come to Belgium under a Family Reunion Visa, on the day of receiving the Orange Card at the Gementeehuis, you can also ask for the Civic Integration Programme or a Dutch Language Course. Over there, you get to speak to someone responsible for the Integration Program. In my case, the person in charge is not around. So, I went directly to Atlas on the same day to ask for an appointment.

What to Expect for First Appointment?

» Integration Programme Registration

For those residing in Antwerp, you can register at the  Atlas counter. Bring along your identity card, residence permit or Orange Card. Passport is not required in this instance because you need a Belgian National Number to be eligible for the Civic Integration Programme registration. Subsequently, the counter staff will give you an appointment date to have an interview with one of the assessors there. Alternatively, you can also make a call to Atlas to get the first appointment.

» Interview with the Assessor

For the first Civic Integration Programme appointment, allow up to three hours with the interviewer. During the interview session, the assessor will create a profile for you by asking questions about your purpose in Belgium. Some questions asked are education level, work experience, family situation and language skills. In general, the conversation is all about getting to know you and your plans in Belgium.

» Cognitive Skills Assessment

It is a common practice to take a logic proficiency test in many Flemish cities to test the cognitive skills of an individual. However, in Atlas, they abolish the rule of the assessment for highly educated people. The evaluation primarily focuses on new immigrants with low literacy levels from all walks of life. As a result, Atlas can place them into the appropriate Social Integration and Dutch class according to their learning ability.

» Date Selection for Social Integration and Dutch Course

After the individual profile interview, the assessor will go through the date availability of the Social Integration and Dutch Course. You can select the schedule based on your preference accordingly. If a person is not able to confirm the date selection for either one of the courses on that day, he has to come back again for the course registration. At the same time, the assessor gives another appointment to meet with the Programme Counsellor at the same place.

Programme Counsellor

For those newly arrived, a Trajectbegeleider also known as the Program Counsellor or the Course Coordinator guides all newcomers in Flanders so they can integrate more easily into the society. He is like a personal assistant who provides all sorts of advice during the integration period. This friend is a (free) gift deriving from the participation of the Civic Integration Programme.

My Programme Counsellor is Harmen from Atlas House. There would be a second round of interviews with the Programme Counsellor to understand the newcomer better and to introduce his role to them too. However, the interview would likely be shorter because the Programme Counsellor can refer to the profile of a person inside the database created during the conversation with the first assessor.

» Role of Programme Counsellor

In fact, the role of a Programme Counsellor is very diversified. During the entire integration period, they can help us in some of the following ways:

• Assist us in the direction of finding a job.
• Help to get our academic certificates from abroad to be recognised in Belgium.
• Find a hobby and interest group to help the newcomers to pass their time in a more productive manner.
• Additional language activities to improve our Dutch.
• Family Counselling – Different types of schools for children.
• Engage in volunteering work appropriate for our Dutch level. The minimum Dutch level is 1.2 to become a volunteering social worker.
• Many others are still unknown to me at this moment until I need them, I would check with my Programme Counsellor again. In short, ask them anything you want to know.

Truly an ingenious system with such resources given by the Flemish Government to have someone with you along the way. At least for the first few months to a year should we face problems with certain issues while settling down and integrating in Belgium. In conclusion, I would say that this person is a friend for life on a professional level.

Equivalence of Diplomas

One of the most important tips that my Programme Counsellor had given me was to get my academic qualification equalised to that of Belgian educational standard. It is especially important if one is interested in working for the Belgian Civil Service in future.

On the contrary, it is less crucial for those planning to work in the private sector as not all employers will ask for equalised diplomas. The recruiters may only assess you based on your working experience and your performance during the job interview.

The time taken for the equalisation of diplomas is around six months. For the equivalence of certificates, one has to produce the following to the Programme Counsellor:-

1) Certificates
2) Transcript
3) Course Outline

Alternatively, if one prefers to do the Equivalence of Diploma himself, he can do so. Depending on which region he comes from – French, Flemish or German-speaking Community, he would consult the different departments in charge on the website.

NARIC-Vlaanderen is another site where you can do the equivalence of diploma by yourself. The illustrated steps are rather clear on the website. Therefore, it will be easy to submit your academic qualification online. On the other hand, isn’t it better to have a Programme Counsellor to help us with the paperwork as he is more familiar with the system?

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Harmen from Atlas House Antwerpen for enlightening me along the way and offering his help at all times. Not forgetting my first assessor, Tarik, who has provided me with first-hand information during my first interview in Atlas.

Future Integration Programme in Brussels

If the agreement between the French Communal Commission and the Flemish Communal authorities goes through, long-termed residents in Brussels will have to undergo the integration process similar to Flanders in 2018. Non-EU adults below the age of 65 who have been living in Brussels for less than three years are obligated to adhere to the new policy.

Newcomers have to take the Integration course within six months upon arrival after their registration in the population register. The good news is that they can choose to take French or Dutch Courses in Brussels. Failing to comply with the regulation may lead to a fine of €2,500 in severe circumstances and €100 every two months.

BON – Agentschap Integratie & Inburgering in Brussels provides some useful information about Integration Programme in View and Dutch as the second language in the capital.

Location of Agentschap Integration and Inburgering (Civic Integration Offices)

Below is a list of Flanders regions including Brussels which you can locate the city for your Civic Integration Programme registration. Each region will have addresses of the integration offices under it.

• Headquarters
• Region Brussels
• Region Antwerp
• Antwerp City – Atlas
• Region Limburg
• Region East Flanders
• Region Flemish Brabant
• Region West Flanders