Overview

• On June 27, the Bundestag voted to suspend family reunification for refugees holding subsidiary protection status for two years.
• Approximately 388,000 people in Germany—predominantly Syrians—are affected, and the change is projected to reduce family arrivals by about 12,000 each year.
• The law maintains narrow exemptions for hardship cases, including urgent medical needs, but stops all other family-visa applications.
• Opposition Greens and Linke lawmakers and refugee organizations denounced the suspension as inhumane, while the AfD supported it as a modest measure.
• Refugee rights group Pro Asyl has announced plans to pursue legal challenges and assist affected families in court.