Syrian asylum seekers use loopholes: Does polygamy come to Austria?

Syrian asylum seekers use loopholes: Does polygamy come to Austria?

In Austria, polygamy could become a reality in family reunification due to legal loopholes. A current case of a Syrian asylum authorized who was born in 1992 impressively shows this problem. Last year, the man applied for entry for his first woman and eight children, whom he was concerned with with two women. However, the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and Asylum (BFA) was suspected of checking the birth data. Born between January 2019 and mid-2022, the data provided the reason for questions that ultimately had to be clarified by DNA tests for paternity.

The Syrian asylum entitled to be married to be married to a second woman and to have four children with this woman. In his homeland Syria, legal marriage with up to four women is possible, which in this case leads to legal ambiguities. While the BFA rejected family reunification for the second woman, it still approved entry for the first woman and the eight children. The case is currently in a queue because the Austrian government has decided to suspend family reunification for one year

legal gray areas and follow

After the end of the moratorium, polygamy could be established by legal gray areas. The children of the second woman could apply for their mother's family reunification, based on the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to private and family life. A family rights expert pointed out that the case law of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) plays an important role, since it says that the mother is crucial for the well -being of a child and must be taken into account.

The intervention of the government in the form of a moratorium is part of a more comprehensive strategy. Austria's new government has made a decision that aims to ensure public order. According to the Bundeskanzlers Christian Stocker this step is called "Stop key in terms of family reunification". The decision to suspend family reunification is controversial and is criticized as a potential violation of asylum law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Current Situation and challenges

In 2023 and 2024, over 18,000 people came to Austria via family reunification, including 13,000 children or minors. However, the current figures show a drastic decline: In February 2024, almost 1,000 people were registered, in February 2025 there were only 60th Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized that these measures serve to minimize irregular migration without affecting the right to asylum.

In addition, the case of the Syrian asylum seeker shows that there are also reports that asylum -owned people try to specify two women as wives. However, this is rejected. The university professor Ednan Aslan estimates the number of polygamen life forms in Austria in at least 100 cases. He also reported a case in which a Turkish woman was brought into the country as a second woman and was in a difficult situation after the separation. The topic is also characterized by questionable, misogynistic tendencies that are perceived among young Muslims in Austria.