Leuven to open international house for expats

The City of Leuven has announced plans to open a new welcome centre for expats. The International House will provide integration courses, in addition to all the necessary information on settling down, including financial obligations and educational options for children.

The initiative is part of the city’s economic development platform, Leuven Mindgate, which aims to boost Leuven’s image as a hotspot for innovation. A survey among 1,600 expats working in the city – many of them international researchers at the University of Leuven – has shown the need for a designated welcome centre, with respondents noting a lack of English-language information on housing, schools and employment opportunities for their partners.

Economy alderman Mohamed Ridouani looked for inspiration to the Danish capital Copenhagen. “All their forms for foreigners are provided online in 18 languages, while we currently only provide them in Dutch,” he told De Standaard. This is a hindrance in attracting international talent to the city, including researchers to the university.

To help expats overcome the challenges of relocation, the International House will also help them find sport clubs and cultural organisations, and offer special integration courses.

The centre should open next year at the Comenius building, located inside the city’s ring road. The building is currently home to one of the campuses of the University College Leuven-Limburg (UCLL), but the school is scheduled to leave it at the end of the 2016-17 academic year.

In addition to the welcome centre, the Comenius building will be the new headquarters for Leuven Mindgate. The International School of Leuven plans to also move there at a later point. The complete International House should be ready by 2020.

Photo: Milo-Profi/Visit Flanders