Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Immigration Office (Office des étrangers/ Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Statistics Unit
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Boulevard Pacheco, 44
B-1000 Bruxelles
Belgium
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
13 May 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
13 May 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
13 May 2026
3.1. Data description
Data collection on student and researchers (and other categories) is based on Article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals in the framework of an intra-corporate transfer.
The following datasets are collected under this framework:
Authorisations for study and research by reason, type of decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrath)
Authorisations for long-term mobility of researchers by reason, type of decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrltm)
Notifications for research and study by reason, decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrntf)
The different dispositions included in Directive (EU) 2016/801 were transposed progressively at national level at different dates.
Elements related to students were applicable from 2022. Elements related to trainees, researchers and family members of researchers were mainly applicable from 2023.
In addition, some optional parts of the directive were not transposed (pupil exchange schemes or educational project, au pair, other voluntary service).
3.2. Classification system
Similar breakdowns as Eurostat.
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Residence permits statistics, Student and researchers (and other categories).
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
3.5. Statistical unit
As requested in technical guidelines, number of permits/authorisation/ notification (and not the number of single individuals). As a consequence, the double counting of the same person is allowed.
3.6. Statistical population
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
3.7. Reference area
Belgium.
3.8. Coverage - Time
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of authorisations to reside.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The FPS (Federal Public Service) Home Affairs and its Statistics Unit (located in the DG Immigration Office) was officially designated as Other national statistical authorities (see 1/ “ List of National statistical institutes (NSI) and other national authorities” in the list of links to public documents and 2/ “Letter sent by Statbel to Eurostat to designate the FPS Home Affairs as ONA” in the list of internal documents available on request) in charge of AMM (Asylum and Managed Migration) data collection in line with the mission of FPS Home Affairs.
The Immigration Office is the main actor in charge of the implementation of the legislation related to migration at national level, i.e. “Law of 15th December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, establishment and removal of aliens”. Concerning residence permits, the Immigration Office is responsible for the examination of applications for authorisation to stay (introduced abroad or in Belgium), changes of status, acquisition of long-term residence status and ending/withdrawal of stays. In the specific case of seasonal workers, the Immigration Office is responsible for the examination of visas.
In the context of its missions and in cooperation with different actors at national and regional level, the Immigration Office also ensures compliance with various European Directives related to residence permits statistics, in particular Directive 2003/109/EC (EU long-term residence status), Directive 2009/50/EC and Directive (EU 2021/1883 (both concerning EU Blue Cards and highly qualified employment), Directive 2011/98/EU (Single Permit), Directive 2014/36/EU (Seasonal Workers), Directive 2014/66/EU (Intra-Corporate Transfers), Directive (EU) 2016/801 (Students, Researchers, Trainees, Volunteers, Pupils and au pairs), Directive 2003/86/EC (Family Reunification). Concerning residence permits, the Immigration Office is responsible for the examination of applications for authorisation to stay (introduced abroad or in Belgium), changes of status, acquisition of long-term residence status and ending/withdrawal of stays. On this specific subject, the Immigration Office takes the decisions of issuance/renewal/withdrawal of the specific permits. The Immigration Office receives the notifications of mobility in the context of Directive (EU) 2016/801 and can object them. More information are accessible on the website of the Immigration Office (Ressortissants d’un pays tiers | IBZ).
The Federal Public Service Home Affairs was officially designated as Other national statistical authoritiy (List of national statistical institutes and other national authorities) and was nominated as responsible for the transmission of residence permits' statistics including statistics on student and researchers (and other categories).
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, formalized this by communicating the name of the Statistical Service of the Immigration Office as another producer of European statistics, in particular concerning statistics relating to Asylum and Migration. By this statute of producer of European statistical data, the statistical service of the Immigration Office must therefore be considered as one of the “other Belgian statistical authorities” as defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics.
Information on the existence of a national policy for (not) releasing data before a certain time after the end of reference period has passed:
All statistical data are published within the regulatory deadlines. No national policy prevents us from publishing statistics before this deadline. Statistics are published when their quality is considered sufficient.
Required confidentiality by law and signed legal confidentiality commitments by survey staff:
All the officials of the Immigration Office have signed a declaration aimed at protecting the confidentiality of data.
Potential micro-data access for research purposes by external users and confidentiality provisions applied:
Access to micro-data is possible while respecting the general data protection regulation (regulation 2016/679). More information on the procedure implemented in this context can be requested from the Data Protection Officer of the Immigration Office. The contact details are available on the website of the Immigration Office:
Statistics on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 are released within 6 months after the end of the reference year.
8.2. Release calendar access
Statistics on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 are available via the website of the Immigration Office:
These statistics are also available on Eurostat website/database.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Statistics on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 are available on the website of the Immigration Office:
Statistics on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 in line with EU definitions are published once a year within 6 months after the end of the reference year.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
No press releases on the topic of these statistics.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Annual publications on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 are accessible from 2022 reference year (year of transposition) on the website of Eurostat.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
No Belgian online database directly accessible to the public. The statistics are available on the Eurostat website.
Some elements are available on the Website of the immigration Office:
Compilation of data is performed following the guidelines and instructions provided by Eurostat at EU level and Statbel at national level.
The principles of the Code of Practice, together with the general principles of quality management, form a common quality framework for the European Statistical System. These principles were followed when developing these specific statistics.
The Consultation Committee, where the federal government (including the Federal Public Service Home Affairs) and the governments of the Regions and Communities are represented, approved on Wednesday 31 May 2017 the Belgian Commitment on Confidence in Statistics as required by Regulation n°223/2009 on European Statistics.
The last peer review in the framework of the European Statistical System took place in 2021. Results are accessible in annex PR Report Belgium.
Quality guidelines are currently developed by Statbel and Belgian ONAs to complement EU guidelines.
Consistency validation checks are performed at all stages of the process.
Quality management is currently considered as high for all datasets.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The statistics collected are used in official publications and by a wide range of users at national, European and International level.
These statistics are used by national administrations, academic researchers and civil society groups working on a wide range of topics including the integration of immigrants, the development and monitoring of national immigration procedures, and the projection of the future population and labour force.
At European level, the main users of these statistics are Eurostat and DG Home. These statistics are used in several publications of the Commission, as well as in the preparation of regular reports, policy proposals and analysis. The statistics also provide an input to the European Migration Network (EMN) studies and reports that address specific issues of current policy importance.
At national level, the following national institutions and administration entities can be mentioned in this context: Immigration Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Ministers, Federal Migration Centre, regional administrations, academic researchers...
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No survey was conducted on satisfaction related to this specific topic.
12.3. Completeness
The required disaggregation for all datasets is complete, except for the data collections on withdrawn authorisation (this data collection is not strictly mandatory, but only "insofar as possible").
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy of these statistics is generally considered to be high.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
There are no discrepancies between the Eurostat and national target population.
The average delay in registering administrative events in the register is zero days from the day these events occurred.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
The data are compared to each other to identify possible differences before the consolidation of the data is made.
If a discrepancy is detected, it is corrected ASAP and before data is transmitted to Eurostat.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Number of days (on average) after the end of the reference period at which the country is able to report the first/preliminary data, at the earliest : 4 months.
Reasons for possible long production of the first/preliminary data and plans to improve the situation : late registration at local level, long delay for correction of specific data, necessary correction of statistical procedures resulting from new registered categories, limited number of persons/experts who can produce / validate the results and discrepancies between registrations in the different systems.
Number of days (on average) after the end of the reference period at which the country is able to report the final data, at the earliest : Approximately 5 months.
Reasons for possible long production of the final data and plans to improve the situation : limited number of persons/experts who can produce / validate the results and discrepancies between registrations in the different systems.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
These statistics are delivered on time.
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
These statistics are comparable between all regions of Belgium.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Differences are to be noticed with general statistics on residence permits statistics related to studies and remunerated activities (Article 6 of Regulation 862/2007) due to different definitions.
Consistency of both data collections is checked every year.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable (no sub annual statistics).
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Data coming from different sources are linked at individual level to ensure coherence.
The coherence between the data and their source(s) is verified; if an incoherence is found, the error is corrected.
These statistics are based on administrative data. Their production does not require any special costs or burden.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data is revised only if an error occurred.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Data are corrected or revised exceptionally:
due to error of transmission (wrong reference period, errors in data compilation…)
due to methodological improvements or introduction of new data sources.
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
The main data sources for producing these statistics are the National Register ("Registre national" in French and “Rijksregister” in Dutch, a Central Population Register), the database of the Immigration Office ("Evibel") and the application used by the Immigration Office and Regional authorities to examine applications for single permits (“Guichet Unique” in French and “Uniek Loket” in Dutch).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data is collected continuously and is consolidated annually.
18.3. Data collection
The main data sources for producing these statistics are the National Register ("Registre national" in French and “Rijksregister” in Dutch, a Central Population Register), the database of the Immigration Office ("Evibel") and the application used by the Immigration Office and Regional authorities to examine applications for single permits (“Guichet Unique” in French and “Uniek Loket” in Dutch).
18.4. Data validation
The following controls are performed:
checking of totals consistency
checking of magnitude of changes over time
visual validation
checking the data integrity over each processing step
checking if the double counting cases are excluded
checking the consistency between data collection based on the Migration Statistics Regulation and data collections based on the SR Directive
analyse the statistics reported by other countries
checking the consistency between statistics transmitted to Eurostat and statistics published at national level
validating statistics against expectations and domain intelligence,
back check of data in the data sources.
18.5. Data compilation
Data is processed by the Immigration Office of Belgium, according to the rules for validation and control of the technical guidelines by Eurostat.
Data collection on student and researchers (and other categories) is based on Article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals in the framework of an intra-corporate transfer.
The following datasets are collected under this framework:
Authorisations for study and research by reason, type of decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrath)
Authorisations for long-term mobility of researchers by reason, type of decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrltm)
Notifications for research and study by reason, decision, citizenship and length of validity (migr_ressrntf)
The different dispositions included in Directive (EU) 2016/801 were transposed progressively at national level at different dates.
Elements related to students were applicable from 2022. Elements related to trainees, researchers and family members of researchers were mainly applicable from 2023.
In addition, some optional parts of the directive were not transposed (pupil exchange schemes or educational project, au pair, other voluntary service).
13 May 2026
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
As requested in technical guidelines, number of permits/authorisation/ notification (and not the number of single individuals). As a consequence, the double counting of the same person is allowed.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
Belgium.
Calendar year.
The accuracy of these statistics is generally considered to be high.
Number of authorisations to reside.
Data is processed by the Immigration Office of Belgium, according to the rules for validation and control of the technical guidelines by Eurostat.
The main data sources for producing these statistics are the National Register ("Registre national" in French and “Rijksregister” in Dutch, a Central Population Register), the database of the Immigration Office ("Evibel") and the application used by the Immigration Office and Regional authorities to examine applications for single permits (“Guichet Unique” in French and “Uniek Loket” in Dutch).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
Statistics on students, researchers, trainees, volunteers, pupils and au pairs under article 38 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 in line with EU definitions are published once a year within 6 months after the end of the reference year.
Number of days (on average) after the end of the reference period at which the country is able to report the first/preliminary data, at the earliest : 4 months.
Reasons for possible long production of the first/preliminary data and plans to improve the situation : late registration at local level, long delay for correction of specific data, necessary correction of statistical procedures resulting from new registered categories, limited number of persons/experts who can produce / validate the results and discrepancies between registrations in the different systems.
Number of days (on average) after the end of the reference period at which the country is able to report the final data, at the earliest : Approximately 5 months.
Reasons for possible long production of the final data and plans to improve the situation : limited number of persons/experts who can produce / validate the results and discrepancies between registrations in the different systems.
These statistics are comparable between all regions of Belgium.
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables on student and researchers’.
