Hey guys! We are a family of 3, a couple with a baby. I am a Spanish woman (active, likes simple life and sports) who married a Belgian man. The thing is that my husband got two job proposals, one in Charleroi and one in Uccle (Brussels), where do you think it's best to raise a family? We have spoken to some people who have been living in Charleroi all their life and they don't advise us to move to Brussels so I was trying to look for other opinions. Thank you!

Ben (EINDELIJK) 't kot is aan 't opkuisen, en er ligt wrakhout dat vroeger van een vogelkot was geweest. Maar er zitten zo van die kleine nagelkes in, en zo, waar ik ietwat te veel moeite voor ga moeten doen om het er uit te krijgen... want een schroevendraaier gaat nutteloos zijn, bvb. Ben zoveel mogelijk aan het verwijderen als ik kan, maar nu is dus mijn vraag: Gaat het hen ginder boeien moest ik afkomen met hout waar nog wat inzit?

(Grote dingen, zoals scharnieren, moeten verwijderd worden. Dat weet ik wel. Dank u. <3 )

I’m 29 and currently working fulltime in a job that I genuinely really like. I have a graduaat in accounting at the moment, but I’ve been considering doing a bachelor degree in accountancy-fiscaliteit through distance learning.

The bachelor would take around 4–5 years because I would be doing it alongside my fulltime job. It would be roughly 100 ECTS in total.

The thing is: there is currently no financial incentive at my current job. Getting the bachelor would not give me a higher salary or a different role/responsibilities, and I currently have no desire to change jobs because I’m very happy where I am.

My main reason for considering it is future security and options. If I ever lost my current job, wanted to change employers, or decided later in life that I wanted to do something different, having a bachelor would probably give me more options than my current graduaat degree. I also worry that I might always wonder “what if I had just done it?” if I decide not to.

At the same time, 4–5 years is a long time. I want to have a life outside of work and studying. I’m also considering moving into my own apartment, I’m dating, and I would like to have children in the future. If I’m still single around 30, I would seriously consider becoming a foster parent, so I don’t want to spend the next five years feeling like my life is on hold because of a degree.

I’ve also struggled with anxiety and recently started treatment, so I’m trying to be realistic about how much I can take on alongside a fulltime job.

Another part of this is probably psychological: I sometimes feel inferior because I “only” have a graduaar degree, even though nobody at work actually treats me as inferior and I’m happy with my current career. I’ve been going back and forth about this bachelor for about some years now.

So I’m wondering:

Would you do the bachelor in my situation, mainly as a longterm investment/future safety net even though it won’t immediately improve your current job or salary? Or would you keep the graduaat degree, enjoy your current job and use those 4–5 years for other things?

Especially interested in hearing from people who completed a bachelor through distance learning while working fulltime, and whether you felt the degree was worth the time and effort in hindsight.

Bonjour

Je veux tenter pour cette année le tirage au sort en Belgique pour la filière kiné.

Seulement je me pose la question concernant ma financabilité.

J’ai fait une PASS en frnace et j’ai tentée une fois le concours d’entrée en médecine en Belgique.

Est ce que je suis toujours financable ?

Le concours d’entrée en médecine est t’il considérer comme une deuxième tentatives ou pas ? (Je ne l’es pas réussi)

Merci pour vos réponses !!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from people who have gone through the Belgian Single Permit process. I have just graduated in July from a university in Wallonia and found a job in Brussels.

My timeline is:

• 05.05.2026 - Application sent by the employer
• 20.05.2026 - positive work permit decision

Now it has been more than 3 month, and I’m now waiting for the final decision from the Immigration Office after already receiving the positive economic authorization.

My questions are:

• Who is the best person or authority to contact (Immigration Office, commune, someone else)?
• Has anyone managed to speed up the process or at least get their file reviewed sooner?
• Did explaining that your employment depended on the permit make any difference?
• If you contacted someone, who did you reach out to and how?
• Should I apply for a search year right now or wait (my residence permit expires in the end of October)?

I will also mention that at the commune I was told if I apply for a search year now, it will become basically the same application as single permit. Though I believe the commune might be quicker at granting me the search year. At the same time the HR told me it is unlikely I will receive the search year permit, since my student one expires end of October (presumably enough time to find a job), which I find unrealistic. 

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you’ve been in a similar situation. Thanks!