The announced tightened measures for family reunification will come into effect next week (see video above). Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) wants to increase DNA testing from the current one to about 50 percent. Spouses and partners, as well as minor children, are affected.
If there is any doubt about the authenticity of documents, the relatives of asylum seekers must take a DNA test in the presence of the staff of the Austrian embassy in their country of origin. A visa will only be issued if the probability forecast is positive. After entry and an asylum application in Austria, the documents must be checked again.
Reimbursement of costs
Applicants must initially bear the costs of approximately 250 euros themselves. If the result of the DNA test is positive, they should be able to get the money back. More documents must also be used for family reunification, including birth and marriage certificates in addition to the passport.
“We are creating a grid square,” Karner said at a news conference on Friday. Nehammer’s order will be carried out. The Minister of the Interior would also like to see further tightening; according to him, the age of married couples should be raised to 21, just like in Sweden. He also wants economic self-reliance to be a condition for family reunification from day one.
FPÖ: “Fighting symptoms”
Since a decree from the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs is sufficient in this case, neither the Greens nor the opposition had to agree. They again criticized the new regulations. The FPÖ talked about ‘fighting symptoms’, which would not change much, and recalled that there were already thousands of ‘asylum seekers’ in the country.
SPÖ integration spokesman Christian Oxonitisch said that the actual problems are not being addressed. NEOS asylum spokeswoman Stephanie Krisper argued similarly. There are problems with basic services, integration and deportations of asylum seekers with legally negative decisions.
Karner, on the other hand, is convinced of his asylum policy. “(…) The smugglers avoid Austria.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
