Limit immigration – New refugees must now undergo a DNA test

This year, half of the new asylum applications came from minor children. This is increasingly becoming an insurmountable burden on the education system. The situation is particularly dramatic in Vienna, where there are now 18,000 exceptional students. Almost one in ten children does not speak German.

The number of asylum applications has decreased overall
However, overall there were significantly fewer asylum applications. In the first three months of the year, 6,922 asylum applications were submitted. That is 32 percent less than in the same period last year. The Ministry of the Interior attributes this to consistent action against smugglers, for whom Austria has become unattractive. In March of the previous year there were 1,150 arrests in Burgenland alone, while in March 2024 there were only 36. Prices for towing have also almost doubled due to the countermeasures. For example, the trip from Bulgaria to Austria costs between 3,000 and 5,000 euros, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Family reunification is becoming a problem
The ÖVP now also wants to severely restrict family reunification – due to the increased use of DNA testing. These should be carried out “if there is even the slightest doubt about the authenticity of documents”. At the same time, the use of specially trained document examiners should be intensified and security checks on family members by security authorities should be increased.

“Through intensive border protection and cooperation with partners in the Western Balkans, we have managed to dramatically reduce the number of apprehensions at our borders. Now family reunification is the next challenge we are tackling, and I am clear: we will limit family reunification through strict controls,” Nehammer announces. The stricter DNA tests are intended to ‘absolutely guarantee that there is no abuse here’.

No approval from the Greens needed
The ÖVP does not need the consent of its green coalition partner for these measures. However, other proposals to limit family reunification will require change at EU level. The People’s Party proposes, among other things, that family members of refugees should only be allowed to enter the country if they can provide for themselves.

The model for this is the red-white-red card for migrant workers. To join their family, they need proof of an income between 1,200 and about 2,000 euros and proof of an appropriate living situation. Asylum beneficiaries, on the other hand, can apply for family reunification within three months of receiving status and do not have to demonstrate that they are able to provide for themselves.