Germany freezes family reunification rights for some refugees

Germany’s federal parliament has passed legislation to suspend the right to family reunification for refugees under subsidiary protection for two years, as part of the Merz government’s wider efforts to tighten immigration policy.

The Bundestag voted on Friday to freeze the existing process through which family members of such refugees can apply to join them in Germany. These individuals are not formally granted asylum but are permitted to stay due to risks like torture or capital punishment in their home countries.

The Interior Ministry said the temporary suspension is necessary to relieve pressure on the country’s social systems and integration infrastructure.


“While Germany remains open to the world, the resilience of our social systems has its limits,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told lawmakers. “Therefore, immigration to Germany must also have its limits.”

The legislation affects an existing quota system, which currently limits family reunification visas for such refugees to 1,000 per month. The move is expected to reduce immigration by about 12,000 people annually. Dobrindt said this would also help reduce the “pull effect” that encourages irregular migration and human trafficking.

The government maintains the change reflects a policy based on "humanity and order," with exceptions included for hardship cases, such as family members in need of urgent medical treatment. The law will be reviewed after two years to assess whether the suspension should be lifted.

The decision has drawn criticism from humanitarian organisations and integration workers, who argue that family reunification supports better long-term outcomes for refugee integration.

“When we talk about good integration, the family comes first,” said Saeed Saeed, a 25-year-old protest organiser from Magdeburg who works with refugees.

Wafaa Mohamed, a 42-year-old dentist from Syria currently residing in Germany under subsidiary protection, said: “We want to make our voices heard to the federal government: we cannot live here without our families.”

A protest was held outside the Bundestag on Thursday ahead of the vote.

with inputs from AFP