Austria to suspend family reunification for asylum seekers

German media reported that asylum seekers in Austria will soon no longer have the right to invite close relatives to join them.

This decision was made by the new three-party coalition in Vienna.

DW reported that the Austrian federal government has decided, as announced, to suspend family reunification for asylum seekers in the country. The government in Vienna approved a similar amendment to the asylum law.

The Chancellery stated that this measure must be passed by the National Council (parliament) as soon as possible and is not permanent.

Parliament should adopt this temporary measure as soon as possible, taking into account rulings of the European Court of Justice.

For his part, Chancellor Christian Stocker of the Conservative People's Party justified this move by stating that reception capacities in Austria are limited—especially in the education sector, where there has been an overload.

According to official statistics, in 2023 and 2024, the total number of people entering the country under the family reunification program reached 18,000, including 13,000 school-age children or minors.

According to Austrian official Stocker, "Austria must live up to its responsibility and suspend family reunification for a while." According to DW, the project is considered legally controversial.

Austria is invoking the EU's emergency clause, which comes into force when internal security is deemed to be at risk. Last week, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner called for an EU-wide moratorium on family reunification.

Violation of Asylum Law

Critics argue that this constitutes a violation of asylum law and the European Convention on Human Rights. On the other hand, Austria's new ruling coalition, which includes the Austrian People's Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the liberal NEOS party, is invoking the EU's emergency clause.

This stipulates that in the event of a threat to public order and the internal security of a Member State, the primacy of European law over national law no longer applies.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner had already called last week for a suspension of family reunifications at the EU level. In a letter to the European Commission, the Austrian People's Party minister claimed that Austria's housing, health, and education sectors were overburdened. He also pointed to an increase in juvenile crime.

The Interior Minister now said that although the number of family reunifications had fallen sharply for about a year, partly due to controls and DNA comparisons, this trend should now continue.

Reducing Irregular Migration

According to his information, in February 2024, nearly 1,000 people were registered as close relatives traveling there, while in February 2025, the number was still 60.

Austrian Interior Minister Jörg Lichtfried of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) explained that the Austrian federal government's shared goal is to reduce irregular migration to zero. This, he claimed, does not change the right to asylum.

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