Institute for Human Rights: Family reunification is the opposite of illegal migration
"Family reunification is the opposite of illegal, disorderly migration," says Anna Suerhoff, an expert on asylum and migration at the DIMR. She thus contradicts the governing coalition, which justifies stopping family reunification with the aim of reducing illegal migration. According to Suerhoff, those who can legally reunite with their relatives do not have to choose dangerous or illegal escape routes.
The German government, on the other hand, points to the need to relieve the burden on local authorities in receiving and integrating asylum seekers. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU) emphasizes that the number of asylum applications has already fallen, but that capacities remain limited.
What happens to the applications for family reunification that are already in progress?
According to the DIMR, asylum seekers whose visa application for family reunification is already in progress or who have been waiting months for an appointment at the embassy are also affected by the new law. For them, the process is likely to be interrupted and halted for at least two years.
This is because the draft law does not provide for a transitional arrangement for ongoing proceedings. How the federal government intends to deal with ongoing applications is still completely unclear.
Asylum in Germany: Who is particularly affected by the new law?
At the beginning of 2025, around 388,000 people with subsidiary protection were living in Germany. In the same year, around 12,000 visas were issued for family reunification for this group. In the current year 2025, around 5,000 more visas have been issued so far.
According to the German government, around 2,800 people with subsidiary protection status were still on the central waiting list for family reunification in February 2025 - almost exclusively children and spouses.
People from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia and Yemen are particularly affected - regions where war, violence or serious human rights violations make a life in safety impossible. Many families have often been separated for years and returning to their country of origin is not an option for them in the foreseeable future.
What consequences could the suspension of family reunification have for those affected?
The German government justifies the draft law with the aim of relieving the burden on local authorities. However, current figures from the Ministry of the Interior show that asylum applications have already fallen by 36% in the current year. There has also been a sharp decline in family reunification: In May 2025, only 74 visas were issued - in May 2024, this figure was still over 1,200.
In addition to the DIMR , organizations such as Caritas, Diakonie and Pro Asyl are also sharply critical of the planned suspension of family reunification. They warn of the psychological stress caused by years of separation - especially for children.
Studies by the Charité in Berlin and the Robert Bosch Stiftung also show that a lack of family ties and ongoing psychological stress can make integration more difficult. This not only affects language acquisition and school attendance, but also social participation in everyday life.
Demand for clear rules and exceptions
The German Institute for Human Rights is therefore calling for the planned regulation to be withdrawn completely or at least for clear exceptions to be laid down in law. Cases in which underage children are affected, family members are seriously ill or the separation has already existed for several years are particularly vulnerable. According to the DIMR, ongoing proceedings with appointments that have already been made should not be stopped retroactively either.
"Anyone who cannot return to their home country in the foreseeable future should be allowed to live here with their family," says Suerhoff. "This is a human rights requirement and at the same time a prerequisite for security, stability and long-term integration."
Conclusion: Decision on suspension of family reunification expected soon?
The decision on the suspension of family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is expected in the Bundestag on Friday, June 27, 2025. This would not be the first time that Germany has taken this step: family reunification was already suspended for this group between March 2016 and July 2018.
Whether it will remain a temporary measure this time is still uncertain. Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt has announced that he intends to reassess the situation in two years' time - with the outcome of whether the suspension will then be extended or lifted.
