Official Halt on Family Reunification Approved

In a significant policy shift, the government has officially approved a regulation to suspend family reunification applications during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The National Council's main committee is expected to grant its approval in the coming days. Under this new regulation, while applications can still be submitted, they will largely go unaddressed for at least the next six months. Exceptions will be made primarily for minors lacking suitable guardians at their place of residence.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized the necessity of this halt, citing overwhelming pressures in urban areas across various sectors. He noted the challenges faced by schools, which have had to resort to using temporary structures, and pointed to a rise in youth crime, particularly among children aged 10 to 14, where nearly 50% of suspects are foreign nationals. The minister highlighted a notable increase in criminal activity attributed to young Syrians in recent years, asserting that effective integration can only occur with controlled family reunification.

Currently, family reunification is already effectively suspended. According to Minister Karner, 1,270 individuals entered Austria under this category in May of the previous year, while only 70 did so in May of this year. This decline is largely due to the fact that applications from Syrians have not been processed since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. Despite this trend, Karner insists that formalizing the regulation is essential to solidify this decrease.

The government has also renewed its commitment to expedite deportations to Syria. A recent attempt to deport a convicted criminal was thwarted when access to Syrian airspace was restricted due to escalating regional conflicts. Minister Karner did not specify the future course of action but stressed the importance of resuming deportations to both Afghanistan and Syria, focusing primarily on offenders and potential security threats.