N-VA wants to close family reunification loophole

The N-VA has prepared a bill to close a family reunification loophole for migration. In practice, the N-VA wants to authorise the Immigration Office to examine residence applications via family reunification on a case-by-case basis. The right to family reunification is currently so widely interpreted that it almost automatically leads to a right of residence.

European exceptions

Anyone who is granted a right of residence in this country can subsequently have only a limited number of family members brought over via family reunification, such as the spouse or legal partner, or children who have not yet reached the age of majority. However, a European directive allows for a few exceptions. For example, Europeans in our country can also have family members brought over who are financially or medically dependent on them.

Five times as many applications

According to the N-VA, as a result of this loophole family reunification is used as a migration channel noticeably more often than just a few years ago. More specifically, while in 2015 the number of applications was only 505, there were as many as 2,672 in 2018. Five times as many applications in three years’ time, and more than enough reason for the N-VA to close the loophole.