Belgian Cohabitation visa process time.

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 09:56:08

Hi everyone,
I have a question with my Belgian cohabitation visa application, I really don't know what I should do now, and I hope someone here can give me some advices here.

I am Chinese, my boyfriend is Belgian. We are together for more than 2 years and 10 months by now. Last year 2020 at the end of September I applied the Belgian cohabitation visa in the Belgium Embassy in Beijing in order to start a legal cohabitaion in Belgium with my boyfriend. After my application, I did not received any phone calls or emails from the Belgian Embassy for an interview or to ask me to submit extra documents. It was after my boyfriend wrote an email to the Embassy on October 22, 2020, they sent my file to the Immigration Office in Brussels on October 23, 2020.

According to the emails from the Immigration office in Brussles, they received my application file around November 19, 2020.聽 My boyfriend has wrote them emails, and every time he got replies like"we are treating this file now" "please wait patiently" etc.聽 Even until now I still did not receive any update about my application. I can not tract the status of my application on the immigration office website app called "what is happening with my application", because on that website, it says: "Please note that due to a shortage of staff to process short-stay visa applications, the registration is currently being done when the application is processed. Therefore, the search will not give any results until a decision is made."

My boyfriend has also tried to call the office number that was provided on the immigration office website, but the telephone never got picked up.

It has been more that three months after my application, there is still no decision. We have not seen each other for around a whole year now. I really miss him. He can not apply for a Chinese visa come and visit me because of the strict pandemic control policy.

Can anyone here give me some advices about what to do?
Is it normal that a cohabitation visa treatment time takes such a long time?
Should I keep on waiting?
Should I ask a lawyer for some legal advice, and will an immigration lawyer be helpful substantially?

Thank you very much for your time and help in advance.

Jaci78 Active member

Member since 04 January 2021

Jaci78Active member10 January 2021 10:23:37

It takes 6 months for the whole process and investigation. Be patient.

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 10:33:41

Thanks for your response. My I asked how do you know it is 6 months?

From the immigration office, is says :"the law does not specify the time limit within which the Immigration Office must examine an application for a C visa in order to marry or declare legal cohabitation in Belgium.The processing time will therefore depend on several factors: the time required to transmit the application by diplomatic bag, the content of the file submitted, the checks and enquiries to be carried out, the number of applications to be processed, the means available, etc.
Currently, the decision is usually taken 8 weeks after the application has been submitted."

Jaci78 Active member

Member since 04 January 2021

Jaci78Active member10 January 2021 10:40:22

The could be right. When I did mine I got my decision in 6 months but the difference between your and mine is I was already in Belgium.

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 10:42:09

So you were in Belgium with a working visa and applied for cohabitation visa in Belgium?

Jaci78 Active member

Member since 04 January 2021

Jaci78Active member10 January 2021 10:48:23

No my situation was different. I was in asylum got denied was waiting for humanitarian process. Met someone while in the process then we decided to do cohabitation.

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 10:51:54

I see. yeah, it is different situation.

Jaci78 Active member

Member since 04 January 2021

Jaci78Active member10 January 2021 11:15:11

Be patient. After or before 6 months you should get an answer.

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 11:20:25

罢丑补苍办蝉听 . Yeah, I will. I really hope I can receive a decision as soon as possible because I really miss my boyfriend聽 .

AlexFromBelgium Animateur Belgique EN/FR

Member since 28 January 2018

AlexFromBelgiumAnimateur Belgique EN/FR10 January 2021 12:58:12

#10

1739

@Jaci you're mixing the family reunion process that she'll have to do once she arrive in Belgium (to get the F card) and the visa request itself to allow her to arrive in Belgium to declare a legal cohabitation.

@Amber2021
Before the covid19, the visa process was around 5 weeks and these files are generally fast processed.
My girlfriend received her approval in exactly 29 days from the delivery of the file to the embassy. But well, it was just before the pandemic (~October 2019)
The only thing to do is to keep on waiting, there's no point to hire a lawyer at this stage.
Good luck聽

Amber2021 Member

Member since 10 January 2021

Amber2021Member10 January 2021 13:04:32

#11

29 days?!! wow, that is real fast. I wonder why mine take such a long time?
My file is complete, and my boyfriend and I are quite confident with our file actually. We thought we would get it at least within two months or sth.
What exactly are they verifying? It's not like there are thousands pages in the file. I just submitted everything needed with a bit extra other documents.