Sarah Bettache is 27 years old and lives in France. When she heard that her younger brother Ahmed had made it over the Atlantic from Morocco and arrived safely on the Canary Islands, she set off to find him on Gran Canaria.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have in a joint statement expressed concern about the UK’s plans to intercept and return migrants attempting to cross the English Channel irregularly on boats.
Between August 2019 and June 2020, Germany gave out almost 6,000 family reunification visas to family members of refugees and those with subsidiary protection in Germany. These numbers remain below the government limit -- partly due to the travel bans during the coronavirus pandemic.
Migrants and refugees in the EU can apply to reunite with their children and bring them to Europe if the children are minors. But what if they reach majority during the proceedings? They can still be reunited with their parents, because what matters is the age they were when the application was filed, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
Under German law, recognized refugees have the right to bring their partners and children into Germany. But Eritreans often struggle to get the documents proving these family ties from their own government.
Germany issued over 11,000 visas to family members of refugees with subsidiary protection last year. While the number increased compared to the previous year, the government quota of 1,000 visas per month was not reached.
More than 50 vulnerable migrants, including children, are flying on from Greece to the UK on Monday to join family members there. The British Guardian newspaper referred to the move as "unprecedented."
While the German government hasn't ordered a nationwide lockdown, there are some severe restrictions in place that also affect migrants. Here is an overview of what's suspended and some tips on how to seek help if you're finding yourself in a dire situation.
Lots of you have been asking us questions related to family status and migration. So we decided to gather up the most frequently asked questions and put them to a legal expert in the field of migration. Lawyers at the firm Schlun and Elseven which has offices in Aachen, Düsseldorf and Cologne responded to us. Here is what they said:
How do you look for a loved one who has gone missing during a migration journey? There are several places you can turn to for help.
European asylum rules allow refugees in Greece who have been separated from their families in Germany to apply to be reunited. Yet the German government has revealed that the majority of requests for family reunification continue to be rejected.
British MPs approved the latest Brexit bill, but rejected five amendments. They included provisions to reunite child refugees with families already in the UK, and guaranteed residence for millions of EU citizens.