Germany Granted More Than 60% of Family Reunification Visas to Children in 2024
Key Takeaways
- In 2024, the majority of family reunification visas issued by German authorities were granted to children.
- Germany issues only 1,000 family reunification visas per month for individuals on subsidiary protection seeking to bring their families to Germany.
- Syrians are most impacted by this law, as they are predominantly part of the subsidiary protection programs in Germany.
In 2024, German authorities issued 60.8% of family reunification visas to children, prioritizing the reunification of minors with their families in the country.
According to data from the German Foreign Office, out of a total of 12,000 family reunification visas granted, 7,300 were issued to children. Additionally, 3,200 visas were granted to spouses or partners, while 1,500 were given to parents of children under 18 who already had refugee status in Germany.
Syrians Most Affected by Family Reunification Visa Changes In response to the 2015 migration influx, Germany implemented stricter family reunification measures starting in 2018. Subsidiary protection is typically offered to individuals fleeing unstable, conflict-ridden countries, allowing temporary residence but often restricting family reunification. Syrians, who make up a significant portion of this group, were especially affected by these regulations.
Although the German government allowed those with subsidiary protection to bring close family members into the country in 2018, the number of allowed family members was capped at 1,000 per month.
The process for obtaining family reunification visas involves proving factors such as the length of separation, the presence of minors in the family, the safety of the family members' current location, and any medical or care needs.
Potential Changes to Family Reunification Policies With elections approaching in Germany, several political parties have proposed changes to migration policies. The CDU’s platform includes ending family reunification for individuals with subsidiary protection and outsourcing asylum procedures to non-EU countries. Meanwhile, the SFD and Greens support policies that encourage migration to address labor shortages and support skilled migrants and asylum seekers.
In contrast, the AfD party advocates for more restrictive immigration policies, including withdrawing from the UN Migration and Refugee Pact and halting asylum seekers at the border.