ANyone have the scoop on what it takes to get permission to live/work in Belgium? I’m not asking for myself - just trying to figure out a situation my cousin has gotten herself into. She is staying with a (non-Belgian) male friend in Brussels for a couple of weeks; he is working there and in some kind of weird living situation in which he shares an apartment with a women with whom he swears he is not having a romatic relationship, but somehow she is responsible for his Belgian visa.
I smell a rat, and am concerned for my cousin, who has never been to Europe before and speaks only English and is nervous about running around Europe by herself - I don’t want her trip ruined. Is there any way a private person could be responsible for the visa status of another private person under Belgian law without being married or otherwise related?
Thanks bunches, on behalf of my young and somewhat naive cousin.
Ever consider this woman may have the right connections with someone in Belgian immigrations that could pull some strings? Just guessing, but I’d suspect that for something as simple as a visa to stay in the country in most of the world having the right connections is all it would take.
Belgium is party to the Schengen Agreement, which is the European Union’s common customs protocol. I don’t know where you live, but as far as I know, Americans, Canadians, British, Australians, and nationals of most European (but not Schengen-party) states and Commonwealth states may visit the Schengen Zone (any country party to the agreement) for up to 90 days (within a 6-month period) without a visa.
So she can go to Belgium and travel freely for 90 days - she can even visit neighboring France, Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg, or any other country in the Schengen Zone.
She mentioned the guy is working in Belgium, not just visiting. However, if this guy has a skill that some Belgian company wants him to work for them, this could make getting the approval to stay in the country easy.
Wolfstu, Eva Luna isn’t asking about her cousin’s status in Belgium, but rather about her cousin’s… friend’s status.
This man is telling Eva’s cousin that the woman he lives with is not his romantic partner, but that somehow she is responsible for him having a Belgian visa. Eva wants to know if this is in fact possible, or whether the guy is lying to either her cousin or the government.
Being ‘responsible for’ the visa could mean any number of things. It could mean he simply helped out with all the forms and bureaucracy. As rfgdxm points out, she could be on a perfectly legit work permit. Or yes, it could be something underhand.
However, I don’t quite understand how the situation directly concerns your cousin - unless is she hoping to work in Belgium also?
Some clarifications: yes, my cousin and I are American, and yes, I am concerned about the guy, and whether he has been manipulating the “friend” he is living with, and/or my cousin. He is Israeli, not American, and AFAIK Israel is not party to the Schengen agreement, with which I am a tad familiar.
A bit of backstory may be in order. My cousin studied in Israel when she was 16, 8 years ago now, and dated the guy at that time. They’ve remained in touch, and I think she was fancying some sort of mushy, soft-focus reunion (and he wasn’t doing anything to disabuse her of that notion, as far as I know).
He has already stated that he absolutely cannot go back to Israel - he is a military guy, and is disgusted enough with what he has been forced to do while serving in Palestinian-inhabited areas that I’m not entirely sure he hasn’t deserted and isn’t trying to find a way to remain outside Israel permanently. He’s been working in Belgium, I have no idea whether legally or not.
I’m just trying to figure out the chances that this guy is trying to play the Belgian woman for a work permit and/or my cousin for a green card down the road. She is on the naive side sometimes, but she’s concerned enough about this situation that she’s been calling her parents almost every day. I gave her the contatc info for some friends in France, if things get bad enough that she feels she has to leave, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.