No family members of refugees have arrived in Germany under a humanitarian exemption for family reunifications since Berlin toughened its rules in the summer, according to official data seen by dpa.
Germany earlier this year suspended the right of people with limited protection status to bring relatives to the country, for a period of two years, reported dpa.
But it also introduced an exemption under a so-called hardship clause for individuals granted "subsidiary protection" — a temporary status often given to Syrians who do not qualify as full refugees. Previously, family reunification for this group had been limited to 1,000 relatives per month.
Under the new rule, spouses and minor children may join their relatives in Germany in exceptional humanitarian cases.
About 1,500 hardship cases have been reported since the change took effect on July 24, the government said. Each case is reviewed with assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) before being sent to the Foreign Ministry for a final decision.
No one had arrived until the hardship clause. However, the response made no mention of any visas that have already been issued
The ministry said the suspension aimed to ease pressure on Germany's reception and integration systems while remaining in line with constitutional and EU law.
The Left party lawmaker Clara Bünger, who requested the data, accused the government of tearing refugee families apart and said the Foreign Ministry's internal guidelines were so restrictive that "hardly anyone can rely on this regulation."
The Left suspects more families may qualify for hardship consideration but have held back due to limited processing capacity at aid groups and their reluctance to encourage applications given the strict criteria.
- Germany
- Refugee
- Law
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
