What is ICAM coaching?

QUESTIONS

ANSWERS

Who can be invited for ICAM coaching?

Persons eligible for an ICAM coaching are individuals and families in irregular stay, whom have received an Order to leave the territory. 

Persons who fit the criteria to benefit from a coaching process  usually receive an invitation at their address. It is also possible to schedule an appointment with an ICAM coach yourself if you have questions or are looking for specific information about your administrative situation.

If a person wishes to start an ICAM-coaching process, they can contact the ICAM support line: icamsupport [at] ibz.fgov.be () or call +32 (0)2 488 97 77.

Every Wednesday between 9 AM and 12 PM, persons without an appointment can also come to one of these locations:

• Boulevard Pachéco 44 , 1000 Brussels
• Italiëlei 4/bus 1, 2000 Antwerp
• Rue de Fragnée 2, 4000 Liège

Under certain circumstances, coaching can be terminated or suspended. For instance, if there is a potential threat to public order or if a new residency procedure has been started.

How do ICAM-coaches proceed to invite someone to a first appointment?

There are different possibilities:

• Individuals who received an Order to leave the territory, usually following a rejection of their residency application, and are eligible to ICAM-coaching will get their invitation by post;
• Individuals who receive their Order to leave the territory at the Pacheco office, will receive an ICAM invitation immediately;
• Individuals who have been intercepted by the police on Belgian territory will be given an invitation by hand;
• Persons who contacted ICAM by themselves will immediately get a date for a first appointment with a coach;
• People who have been directed to the ICAM service (through a municipality, an organization or another partner) will be contacted to set up a first appointment with the available contact information.

What is the role of the ICAM-coach regarding residency procedures? What about initiating a procedure after following an ICAM-coaching?

The ICAM-coach receives an extensive training on the different residency procedures and can provide individual advice after analyzing a specific case. The coach always strives to provide an accurate assessment based on the available information, always in consultation with the executive services. The final decision is made by the competent authority based on the complete case file. The ICAM-coaches do not make decisions themselves.

The ICAM coach only provides all the necessary practical information necessary to apply for a residence permit, if any procedure seems to fit the person’s situation. However, the coaches will never initiate a procedure themselves.

If there is no possibility for legal residence in Belgium, the ICAM-coach will explain the situation and assist the person in considering other sustainable future perspectives.

Who is allowed to come to the appointment with the person who has been invited to follow an ICAM coaching?

The invitation states that the person can always be accompanied by a person of trust. This can be a friend, a confidant, a lawyer, a family member, etc.

For practical reasons, it is best to communicate in advance via email if you will bring someone with you. To ensure workability and individual service, it may be requested prior to the meeting to limit the number of accompanying people if multiple trusted individuals are present.

What are the consequences of non-attendance to an appointment with the ICAM-coach? And what are the consequences if someone wants to stop an ongoing coaching?

The person involved is expected to inform the ICAM-coach if they can’t attend an appointment. If the person is absent from the scheduled appointment without prior notice, a home visit may take place. The purpose of this is to engage in dialogue with the person and to inform them of the ICAM procedure.

If the person does not want to cooperate anymore, their case will be processed by the service ‘Monitoring Orders to Leave the Territory/Interceptions’. Therefore, the person will be at risk of a forced return. 

If the person no longer wishes to continue the coaching sessions, they must inform the ICAM-coach, and the coaching process will be terminated.

What attention is given to vulnerable profiles in the context of ICAM-coaching?

Is it possible to communicate ‘special procedural needs’ or ‘vulnerabilities’ for an appointment?

We pay attention to individuals with a vulnerable profile appropriately and give them the possibility to engage in a coaching process. Vulnerable profiles can be a victims of human trafficking, persons with mental health problems, pregnant persons, persons with medical conditions, etc. The ICAM-coach takes the vulnerability of the person into account to make the coaching process as accessible as possible.

In the case of a voluntary return, the person will be referred to the voluntary return desk of Fedasil. If a person with complex medical problems and/or for whom the general voluntary return program would not suffice for sustainable reintegration in the country of origin, they may also qualify for a personalized medical support through the AMAAR program (Adapted Medical Assistance After Return).

Any specific procedural needs or vulnerabilities can be communicated as early as possible so that the necessary measures can be taken.

This can always be done via the email address icamsupport [at] ibz.be (), or directly to the assigned ICAM coach.

Where are the regional offices where ICAM- coaching is carried out located?

Are they accessible?

The regional offices are currently located in the following cities: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Hasselt, Leuven, Liège, Namur, Mons, Neufchâteau, Charleroi, Ottignies, Nivelles, Aalst, Kortrijk, Pelt, Mol, Mechelen, Hoogstraten, Herentals and Genk.

The locations are easily accessible by public transport. More information about this is provided on the invitation itself.

The infrastructure may vary depending on the type of building where the offices are (Pacheco, FPS Finances, municipalities, etc.). The rooms are accessible to people with limited mobility (lifts, wide doors, etc.). People with specific needs can always inform the ICAM-coaches before the interview, so that they can provide an adapted room if necessary. 

Does the ICAM coach use an interpreter during the meetings?

It is important that the coaching sessions take place in a language that the person understands. Therefore, the ICAM coach always uses an interpreter when the conversation cannot be conducted in Dutch, French, or English.

Whenever possible, interpreters who can be physically present at the meeting are used. If the interpreter cannot be physically present, contact will be made via telephone or online. The coaches have the necessary equipment to ensure this runs smoothly.

Preferably, the person informs the ICAM-coach in advance about the need for an interpreter.

How does the ICAM-coach handle a family with underage children? Do the children come to the interviews?

It is better for minor children not to be present at the coaching sessions. The invitation for ICAM-coaching mentions that minor children should preferably not be present at the appointment. However, if the children are older, such as teenagers, they can be involved in the sessions.

However, children are always taken into account for the assessment made by the coach during the coaching process.

What is the maximum duration of a coaching process?

Is there always an extension of the Order to leave the territory?

There is no predefined duration for a coaching process. It is a case by case analysis.

When a follow-up appointment is made with the ICAM coach, the order to leave the territory will generally be extended. However, if the person concerned commits acts against public order, the order to leave the territory will no longer be extended, and the coaching process will end.

Can the involved person be arrested and deported by the police when they are in an ICAM-coaching process?

No, during the coaching process, the person concerned cannot be forcibly removed. If the person has committed serious acts against public order, the coaching process is automatically terminated, and forced return can be carried out by the competent authority.

In the context of ICAM-coaching, will the Order to leave the territory be extended if its deadline is expired?

Yes, the order to leave the territory is generally extended. The ICAM coach tries to assist the person concerned as soon as possible after the order to leave the territory has been issued.

However, if the ICAM coaching takes place later, the order to leave the territory will be extended, and the person concerned cannot be forcibly removed during the coaching. During the first meeting, the person will also receive a document with the contact details of the ICAM-coach and the duration of the extension of the order to leave the territory.

What happens if the person concerned receives an invitation to ICAM-coaching while they have appealed the order to leave the territory that was issued to them?

Will another invitation be sent if the appeal is dismissed?

The person concerned always has the right to appeal this decision despite receiving an invitation for ICAM coaching. If it is a non-suspensive appeal, the coaching process continues. If it is a suspensive appeal, the coaching process is temporarily paused and will resume if the appeal is rejected. A new invitation will then be sent.

How does the coaching work when someone’s case falls under the Dublin procedure, where there is a 6-month deadline before Belgium’s responsibility is involved? Is it an accelerated procedure?

The person will be is oriented as quickly as possible to the country responsible for their application for International Protection. For this reason, people in the Dublin procedure, who reside in a ‘Dublin center’, follow an expedited process due to the deadlines of the Dublin Regulation. This is a guidance process in which the person is informed about the situation and the possibility of voluntarily returning to the responsible Member State.

What about the extension Dublin transfer deadline from 6 to 18 months in the case of refusal to cooperate?

The extension of a transfer period is the exclusive responsibility of the Dublin Unit (International protection). The ICAM-coach has no influence on this.

If a person is absent from their ICAM appointment and cannot provide a valid reason within 3 working days, the Dublin Unit of the Immigration office may decide to extend the transfer period based on this and other elements in the case file.

Does ICAM coaching stop if someone refuses to go back to the responsible Member State (Dublin)?

What are the consequences regarding detention? Can the person be detained after refusing to cooperate?

........

No one will ever be arrested at the end of an ICAM appointment.

If the person refuses to cooperate to a voluntary return to the responsible Member State, an invitation to go to the service ‘Monitoring Orders to leave the territory’ (formerly SEFOR) will be handed to them. This document explains that they will be detained in a closed center. If the person goes to this appointment, they will be detained until they are removed to the responsible Member State. 

If the person doesn’t go to the appointment with the service ‘Monitoring Orders to Leave the Territory’, an address verification may take place in anticipation of detention in a closed center.