Mainly from Syria

More and more people granted asylum are bringing their families

A particularly large number of people bring their family members from Syria to Austria (symbolic image).(Bild: Richtsteiger - stock.adobe.com)

The number of people who have been granted asylum in Austria and want to bring their family members to join them has risen sharply in recent years. Family reunification is causing challenges, particularly in Austrian schools.

In the first month of the year, 845 asylum applications were submitted under the heading of family reunification, which is significantly more than in previous years. In January 2023 there were 421, in the first month of 2022 only 310, according to a response to a question from the Ministry of the Interior to FPÖ MP Hannes Amesbauer.

Child and mother (symbolic image)(Bild: Richtsteiger - stock.adobe.com)

Most applications from people from Syria
Of the applications in January 2024, the vast majority (92.5 percent) were from family members from Syria - namely 782 out of a total of 845. In 2023 as a whole, a good 89 percent of the corresponding applications were from Syrians, in 2022 the figure was 79 percent.

In terms of the age of the applicants, 3482 of the total 9180 people in the previous year were children between the ages of zero and six. There were 2282 applicants in the school-age group of seven to 13-year-olds. Over 18 there were around 2800.

It is worth noting that the number of applications rose towards the end of the year last year. While there were only 421 in January, the number climbed to a monthly high of 1181 in October.

According to the Asylum Act, a family member is:

• Parent of a minor child who has been granted subsidiary protection or asylum status.
• Spouse of a foreigner with residence status (subsidiary protection or asylum)
• Unmarried minor child of a foreigner with residence status (subsidiary protection or asylum)

A marriage must have already existed before the person entitled to subsidiary protection or asylum entered the country. The same applies to registered partnerships.

Entry permit can be applied for at the embassy abroad
If a foreigner has been granted asylum status in Austria, family members can apply for an entry permit at an Austrian representation authority abroad within three months. If this is granted, they can travel to Austria to apply for asylum in the family procedure and receive the same protection status as the reference person. If the application is only submitted after three months, they must also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance and sufficient income.

The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum in Vienna is responsible for family reunification (archive photo).(Bild: APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER)

Family members of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection can apply for an entry permit in the course of family reunification three years after being granted and must also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance and sufficient income.

More than 1200 entry permits in January
In any case, interest remains high. In January, there were 1206 applications for family reunification, according to the response to the inquiry.