In the fight against illegal migration, the federal government has focused in recent months on the issue of family reunification. At the beginning of May, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner presented a number of immediate measures that seem to be having an effect. According to the ÖVP minister, family reunification has “practically stopped”.
The department head showed this at a press conference on Wednesday with the following figures: The number of registrations fell from January to August from 2,185 to almost 370. The number of actual submissions fell from March to August from approximately 1,300 to approximately 100.
The reason for the more extensive examination of documents was the suspicion of corruption by the Syrian authorities and doubts about the correctness of birth certificates from Syria. In order to detect false documents, DNA tests are now carried out ‘at the slightest suspicion’, says Karner. The tests are only carried out in hospitals of the Austrian embassy or are then carried out by Austrian experts in certified laboratories. All document checks are now carried out exclusively by experts. Even sworn translations are checked by the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum. According to the minister, 132 forged documents were discovered during a re-evaluation of already approved applications.
Further tightening measures planned
However, Karner stressed that more needs to be done. In this context, he also referred to medium-term measures. In future, a spouse should not be able to join at the age of 18, but only from the age of 21. The head of department also reiterated the ÖVP’s demand that there should only be half of the social assistance in the country for the first five years. Both would require legal changes in Austria.
To this end, the Minister of the Interior is planning two initiatives at European level. According to him, the capacity for self-preservation must be demonstrated from day one. In addition, the suspension clause for family reunification must be applied more quickly. Finally, Karner once again urged that individual regions in Syria be declared safe. This would result in less subsidiary protection being granted, which would also reduce family reunification. Austria is currently looking for allies with the help of whom these plans can be realised.
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.
