Family reunification in Vienna: Government is planning drastic stop!

Family reunification in Vienna: Government is planning drastic stop!

The Austrian federal government plans to temporarily stop family reunification for asylum seekers. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) announced in a press conference that the first quota for family reunification is set to zero. This comes as part of a quota regulation that is expected to come into force soon. The stop was considered necessary, since Austria may pull the "emergency brake" when overloading and the overload in the education system has grown considerably. Last year, 7,760 people were left into the country by family reunification; In 2023 there were even 9,254, which the existing infrastructures emphasized enormously, as the city of Vienna emphasized, which is particularly affected, since about 80 percent of the arrivals take place there, reported ORF Vienna. .

Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) supported the advance and hopes that the adaptation of family reunification will make integration easier. In view of over 4,000 additional children per year in Vienna elementary schools, the stop has come since 2022, of which many difficulties have to follow lessons. Critics like Amnesty International warn that such a stop violates the European Convention on Human Rights and demand that family reunification must not be further restricted, while the FPÖ described the measures as inadequate announcement policy, according to Austria 24 .

The exact time when the stop should come into force is not yet clear, and the duration of the suspension is also indefinite. According to Karner, it could even be that the future would no longer be accepted in the future if the situation remains tense. Aar the usual procedure for family reunification, in which authorized asylum seekers organize the return of their relatives, is interrupted by this stop and could have significant effects on the families concerned.