Family Reunion Suspension Sparks Outcry

Law imposes full family reunion suspension

Germany has entered a two-year period of family reunion suspension for people who hold only subsidiary protection status. The Bundestag adopted the measure on 27 June after a heated sitting in which 444 members voted in favour and 135 opposed the draft from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. Supporters insist the pause will “re-insert the idea of limitation into immigration law” and ease pressure on over-stretched municipalities. Critics counter that the family reunion suspension violates the constitutional and international right to live as a family and will undermine integration efforts.

Under the previous quota up to one thousand relatives per month were permitted to join loved ones already in Germany. All of those applications are now frozen unless applicants can prove an exceptional hardship, such as life-threatening illness or the case of an unaccompanied minor. NGOs warn that the criteria are vague and past experience shows only a handful of humanitarian visas are likely to be granted.

Family reunion suspension devastates separated households

The consequences of the decision are immediate for families like the Sataris from Afghanistan. Father Sorosh arrived in 2015 and found work as a geriatric nurse, but during the long trek westward in 2019 two of his four daughters were stranded in Iran. Although he finally secured a residence permit in 2023, the family’s request for embassy appointments has languished for more than a year. This month the girls were deported from Iran back to Afghanistan, deepening the parents’ anxiety as Taliban restrictions tighten.

Legal advocates describe an “epidemic of despair” among parents and spouses who have already waited years. Several cases documented by Pro Asyl involve children growing up without one or both parents, teenagers missing critical schooling and a Sudanese boy who died from an untreated infection while the visa queue in Cairo lengthened. Campaigners argue that the family reunion suspension will multiply such tragedies by removing even the limited pathway that existed.

Bureaucratic delays pre-date the new freeze

Even before the family reunion suspension, the process was notoriously slow. Applicants must first secure an online slot at a German embassy, a stage that in Tehran and Beirut can take up to two years. After the interview, files sit for months while foreign missions wait for local immigration offices in Germany to approve. Officials admit the backlog stems from staff shortages and the lack of digital document exchange. Because Germany has no diplomatic post in Afghanistan, many Afghans must travel to Iran or Pakistan, a journey that is costly and dangerous, only to be placed at the back of the queue.

The Foreign Office says it is “acutely aware of the burden on families” and promises to expand capacity. Human-rights groups remain sceptical, pointing to the ministerial briefing that predicts merely one percent of pending requests will qualify for hardship relief. They urge Berlin to introduce remote interviews and to recognise that prolonged separation itself constitutes a humanitarian emergency.

Legal battle over the family reunion suspension

Constitutional lawyers argue that the freeze may breach Article 6 of the Basic Law, Article 7 of the EU Charter and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2021 that a three-year waiting rule in Denmark violated the right to family life when no individual assessment was offered. German judges have previously set a two-year threshold for young children and a three-year limit for spouses, periods many applicants have already exceeded.

Government lawyers cite a hardship clause anchored in Section 22 of the Residence Act as a safeguard. However, migration researchers note that the clause grants authorities wide discretion and lacks transparent procedures for appeal. If rejected, families have little recourse besides protracted litigation, during which children can age out of eligibility and parents may lose health or housing in war-torn regions.

Uncertain prospects after the two-year pause

Ministers promise to review the policy in mid-2027, but the enabling text allows an extension if “circumstances require.” Aid organisations fear the backlog will swell so greatly that appointments will be effectively unreachable even after the statutory pause expires. Some protection holders hope to sidestep the barrier by gaining skilled-worker visas or permanent residence, yet language requirements, diploma recognition and psychological strain make that path feasible for only a minority.

For now thousands of families remain suspended between continents, uncertain whether the window to re-unite will reopen. Pro Asyl calls the suspension “symbolic cruelty” and has launched an online petition demanding repeal. Meanwhile Sorosh Satari ends each night with a video call cut short by sobs on both ends of the line, a routine that may continue for years unless Berlin reverses course.