Twelve months after the federal government halted family reunification visas for people with subsidiary protection, new data reveal a mixed picture. According to figures obtained by the Tagesspiegel and reported by HNA on 29 June 2026, overall family-reunion visas slipped only slightly—about 63,200 permits have been issued so far this year compared with roughly 120,000 in 2024. The headline numbers stay high because most beneficiaries hold full refugee status, which is unaffected by the freeze. For Syrians and Afghans, however, the change is dramatic. Visa grants for their spouses and children plunged from more than 28,000 in 2024 to just 6,900 up to mid-June 2026, a fall of nearly 75 %. NGOs such as PRO ASYL say the policy is splitting families, pushing some people toward dangerous irregular routes, and undermining integration efforts for skilled workers already in Germany. The humanitarian ‘hardship clause’ is proving largely symbolic. Of 4,800 hardship applications logged by the Foreign Office, only seven visas were approved—five of them after applicants sued in court. Lawyers note that strict language-certificate requirements and high evidentiary burdens make the process almost impossible for war-displaced families.
![One-Year Review Shows Germany’s Family-Reunification Freeze Disproportionately Hurts Syrians and Afghans]()
While advocacy groups press for policy change, applicants still grappling with Germany’s evolving visa landscape can turn to services like VisaHQ for practical help. The platform’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) compiles real-time requirements, offers document-checking and courier options, and can schedule embassy appointments—support that, although unable to override the current freeze, helps families and employers avoid unnecessary delays in the categories that remain open.
From a business-mobility angle the freeze is an irritant. Multinationals that relocate refugee talent through corporate sponsorship programmes report higher drop-out rates when staff discover relatives cannot follow. Several HR directors told the Council on Global Mobility that they now steer Syrian IT specialists toward offices in the Netherlands or Spain, where reunification remains possible. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defends the policy as necessary to “control migration numbers.” Yet migration researcher Benjamin Etzold warns that blocking legal pathways rarely reduces arrivals overall and often fuels secondary movements within the EU. With a parliamentary review clause due in October, employers and civil-society groups are lobbying Berlin to at least reopen a quota-based scheme for immediate family members.
While advocacy groups press for policy change, applicants still grappling with Germany’s evolving visa landscape can turn to services like VisaHQ for practical help. The platform’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) compiles real-time requirements, offers document-checking and courier options, and can schedule embassy appointments—support that, although unable to override the current freeze, helps families and employers avoid unnecessary delays in the categories that remain open.
From a business-mobility angle the freeze is an irritant. Multinationals that relocate refugee talent through corporate sponsorship programmes report higher drop-out rates when staff discover relatives cannot follow. Several HR directors told the Council on Global Mobility that they now steer Syrian IT specialists toward offices in the Netherlands or Spain, where reunification remains possible. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defends the policy as necessary to “control migration numbers.” Yet migration researcher Benjamin Etzold warns that blocking legal pathways rarely reduces arrivals overall and often fuels secondary movements within the EU. With a parliamentary review clause due in October, employers and civil-society groups are lobbying Berlin to at least reopen a quota-based scheme for immediate family members.
