Austria Tightens Asylum Policy: No More Family Reunification as a Goal

The federal government wants to sustainably secure the planned halt of family reunification. For this purpose, the responsible ÖVP ministers Gerhard Karner (Interior) and Claudia Plakolm (Integration) discussed the framework conditions and necessary measures with experts from both departments on Tuesday. The corresponding decision is to be made at tomorrow's Council of Ministers.

Government Wants to Sustainably Secure Halt of Family Reunification

Karner and Plakolm met on Tuesday with experts from the Ministry of the Interior, the Integration Section in the Chancellery, and the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) to discuss the challenges regarding family reunification and integration. They agreed that the system for integration should not be overloaded by family reunification.

Family Reunification Already "Drastically" Reduced According to Karner

It has already been "drastically and massively" reduced in the past three quarters of a year, emphasized Karner. While the number of applications was still 2,400 in February, it was only 60 this February. Increased controls and checks as well as DNA tests have contributed to this, according to Karner. In addition, he informed the responsible commissioners at the EU level about the halt of family reunification last week. Karner cited the overload of the education, health, and social systems or the increase in youth crime as arguments.

Federal Government with "Clear Stance" on Integration

The federal government has a "clear stance" regarding integration, emphasized the Minister of Integration: "Anyone who wants to live here must become part of society." The prerequisites for this are learning the language, participating in the labor market, and sharing the values. However, due to the system's overload from further immigration, this is not possible. Plakolm cited the high number of non-literate individuals among asylum seekers and those with subsidiary protection as arguments. One-third of these people are not literate in their own native language.

Problems with Unemployment Numbers and Ramadan

The unemployment numbers are also "dramatic." Currently, 48,000 people in the group of asylum seekers and those entitled to protection are without employment. Plakolm is also concerned about reports of children who must observe Ramadan against the recommendations of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ): "Radical views are gaining more support." The step to stop family reunification was taken to enable integration.

FPÖ Detects "ÖVP Sleight of Hand"

The Freedom Party criticized what they see as the "grandiose staging of an ÖVP sleight of hand." According to FPÖ General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz, the "loser traffic light" is planning the opposite of what Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP), Karner, and Plakolm are "pretending" to the people: "Namely, not a stop, but the turbo for family reunification." After all, the government program envisions language courses and orientation programs for family members to be reunited in the country of origin, paid for with Austrian tax money, according to the argument of the Freedom Party's General Secretary.

The announcement is also met with little enthusiasm by Volkshilfe. The measure is not only problematic under EU law but also hinders integration efforts. Additionally, it particularly affects women.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.