Asylum cases launched FROM SYRIA: Family granted EU visa and Belgium FINED if denied
A SYRIAN family has been granted a visa to claim asylum in Belgium – without even leaving their homeland, in what could set a precedent for more migrants.
Syrians have been granted the right to make their asylum cases from outside the EU
And the Belgian government will be fined £3,587 (€4,000) for every DAY the family is not able to take up their visa.
The family of four took Belgian authorities to court in Brussels remotely in a bid to secure safe passage to Europe to prevent them travelling by sea.
Currently rules over asylum can only apply when the people have reached their destination of choice.
Families are living in complete poverty and destruction all over the country thanks to the civil war
Syria: schoolchildren among 26 killed in airstrikes – reports
It will open the door to thousands of people
But the Belgian Court of First Instance upheld the decision to allow the family to fly to Belgium, despite them living 2,000 miles away.
This court ruling marks a new precedent and has been described by Belgian migration minister Theo Francken as being a threat to the entire system.
He hopes to challenge the decision which he blasted as "insane".
Children are being killed on a daily basis in the country
Millions of people have attempted to make the treacherous journey from countries all over Africa, Asia and the Middle East this year alone.
Mr Francken said he supports EU resettlement of refugees but is challenging the court's verdict.
He said: “It will open the door to thousands of people.
“If we allow people to come to Belgium with a visa to apply for asylum, the whole system will collapse.”
However the lawyer acting on behalf of the unnamed family from Syria has accused the government of trying to "block" the system.
Mieke Van den Broeck said: “The [only] way to go to another country legally is via a visa.
“By blocking the legal way, he [Francken] creates opportunities for people smugglers.”