German authorities sharply cut back family reunification for migrants

German migration authorities have recognized scarcely any special cases for family reunification for refugees during the first months since the general right to such unifications was suspended, the Foreign Office indicated on Saturday.

While 2,586 cases of this kind had been registered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), visas had been issued in just two cases, the government said in response to a parliamentary question put by Clara Bünger of The Left, a hard-left opposition party.

At the end of July, family reunification for migrants with restricted protected status in Germany was suspended for two years. This refers to so-called "subsidiary" protected status, a category which includes many Syrians. Close family members are now allowed to join the migrants only in "special needs" cases.

Subsidiary protection is granted to migrants unable to prove they are under threat individually in their country of origin but are in fear of general levels of violence.

The family reunification suspension affects only this category, and not those with a right to asylum or migrants falling under the Geneva Refugee Convention.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, which took power in early May last year, has pledged to restrict refugee flows into Germany.