More than 400,000 migrants are still eagerly awaiting the opportunity to join their families residing in Germany, amid complex administrative procedures, burdensome bureaucracy, and strict legal regulations that hamper their right to family reunification, particularly for those with subsidiary protection status.
According to data from the German Foreign Ministry, waiting lists for family reunification visas are constantly growing, making the hope of joining relatives more distant and complicated than ever.
The right to family reunification for those with subsidiary protection status was first established in 2015, under former Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, the decision was suspended in 2016 and reinstated in 2018 with stricter conditions, most notably a limit of 1,000 visas per month, which has led to waiting periods extending to several years.
According to the German newspaper Bild, German embassies issued approximately 120,000 family reunification visas in 2024, of which only 12,000 were for relatives of those granted subsidiary protection.
Syrians led the way (approximately 20,000 cases), followed by Iranians (4,400), Afghans (2,600), and Iraqis (1,300).
Family reunification opportunities are limited to the nuclear family (husband or wife, minor children, and their parents, if resident). Proof of financial support and adequate housing are required, along with German language proficiency certificates for the spouse seeking to join. This is excepted in certain humanitarian cases or for those with refugee status.
In contrast, EU citizens and their family members enjoy more flexible legal treatment, as they are not required to obtain a visa, prove their income, or prove their language skills, which many human rights activists consider clear legal discrimination.
Although those granted subsidiary protection are granted a three-year residency permit, the ability to work, and receive assistance, the right to family reunification remains restricted, compounding the suffering of thousands of families living in forced separation and open-ended waiting.
The new German government—which includes a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)—plans to tighten family reunification procedures, particularly for Syrians, at a time when more than 229,000 people applied for asylum in 2024, most of them from Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
Fares Al-Rifai - Zaman Al-Wasl
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