In a late-night vote on 1 April, the German Bundestag approved a coalition bill that halts the issuance of family-reunification visas to protection-holders with *subsidiärer Schutz* (subsidiary protection) until 31 March 2028. 444 MPs backed the measure, 135 opposed and 41 abstained. Subsidiary protection is granted to people who face serious harm at home but do not meet the narrower definition of ‘refugee’ under the 1951 Geneva Convention. At the end of March, roughly 388,000 people in Germany—most of them Syrians—held this status.
![Bundestag freezes family-reunification visas for two years]()
For anyone now forced to look at alternative visa options, VisaHQ can provide step-by-step support with Germany’s evolving entry categories, from student and work permits to the Opportunity Card. Their portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) keeps track of the latest consular requirements and lets applicants start, save and submit forms online—reducing the risk of errors and saving weeks of back-and-forth with embassies.
Under current rules they may normally apply to bring spouses and minor children after a minimum waiting period. Interior-minister Nancy Faeser argued the pause is needed while the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum and Germany’s own Skilled Immigration Act bed-in, warning that “we cannot expand legal migration channels before we have restored control at the borders.” Human-rights organisations and church groups criticised the decision as “collective punishment”. Employers’ associations were more guarded but warned that the step could make Germany less attractive for talent that arrives via humanitarian pathways and later moves into the labour market. Practically, consulates will stop accepting new family-reunion applications from subsidiary status holders with immediate effect. Pending cases filed before 1 April will be processed, but decisions may be delayed until new implementing guidelines are published—expected within six weeks. Companies with staff in this category should advise them to suspend relocation plans for dependants and explore alternative residence routes such as study visas or the newly expanded Opportunity Card.
For anyone now forced to look at alternative visa options, VisaHQ can provide step-by-step support with Germany’s evolving entry categories, from student and work permits to the Opportunity Card. Their portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) keeps track of the latest consular requirements and lets applicants start, save and submit forms online—reducing the risk of errors and saving weeks of back-and-forth with embassies.
Under current rules they may normally apply to bring spouses and minor children after a minimum waiting period. Interior-minister Nancy Faeser argued the pause is needed while the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum and Germany’s own Skilled Immigration Act bed-in, warning that “we cannot expand legal migration channels before we have restored control at the borders.” Human-rights organisations and church groups criticised the decision as “collective punishment”. Employers’ associations were more guarded but warned that the step could make Germany less attractive for talent that arrives via humanitarian pathways and later moves into the labour market. Practically, consulates will stop accepting new family-reunion applications from subsidiary status holders with immediate effect. Pending cases filed before 1 April will be processed, but decisions may be delayed until new implementing guidelines are published—expected within six weeks. Companies with staff in this category should advise them to suspend relocation plans for dependants and explore alternative residence routes such as study visas or the newly expanded Opportunity Card.
