PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF FAMILY REUNIFICATION
Families’ and individual’s personal experiences of family reunification have been core to the REPAIR project from its inception and throughout its delivery.
The act of listening to, sharing, and learning from people’s stories has been key across the project – from the participatory needs assessment, to the co-production of information materials – and has also been encapsulated through the collection of case studies in each partner country.
As well as providing a human connection to the topic of family reunification, experiences recounted in the case studies also provide sharp insight into the realities of the process, and the direct impacts, both positive and negative, that policies and activities have on people’s lives.
Najma, for example, originally from Somalia but granted asylum in Slovenia, has faced an indefinite wait as she seeks to be reunited with her mother and teenage sisters. “In Slovenian law, if you’re over 18 years old then they say your family is not your family. Because my mum and sisters are not my husband and children, they do not count as my family. I was so shocked – my mother and sisters are the only family I have. I just want someone to explain to me what the situation is and what I can do, I can’t understand why my mum can’t be here.”
Abier, a refugee in the United Kingdom, faced similar challenges to be reunited with two of her sons who, during their separation had turned 18 and had themselves been forced to flee Sudan in search of safety. “Time was against us - most family reunion decisions take nine months, but my sons’ visas in Saudi Arabia lasted only three. Their passports were being held in the embassy, there was no home for them to return to in Sudan, and we had no idea if they would be granted visas for the UK.”
After months of advocacy the British Home Office agreed to expedite their case and visas were granted, but further hurdles still needed to be overcome before the family were finally reunited in the UK.
“Time was against us - most family reunion decisions take nine months, but my sons’ visas in Saudi Arabia lasted only three. Their passports were being held in the embassy, there was no home for them to return to in Sudan, and we had no idea if they would be granted visas for the UK.”
In Austria, Sepideh and her twin brothers faced a long battle to be reunited alongside their mother. “Initially, our family reunification application was rejected because my mum didn’t have official custody of the twins - the legal system in Iran had automatically granted custody to their father. We appealed the rejection, but it took a really long time. We managed to reach my father and convince him to go to the Iranian embassy in Germany to transfer custody of the twins to my mum. Even after that, it still took more than a year to overturn the original rejection, and another four months after that for the twins to join us in Austria.”
While in France, Zaahir a refugee from Afghanistan separated from his parents when he was a child, continues to battle for full reunification with his family. “My parents and five youngest siblings were granted visas, but my older sisters – only teenagers when we were separated but now in the early twenties - were rejected because they were over 19. Both unmarried, they have always lived with my parents and are dependent upon them, but they now faced being separated from everyone.
“When my parents arrived in France with my brothers and sisters it was bitter-sweet, we were so happy to be together again, but at the same time so sad that my older sisters weren’t with us. There is currently no obligation for Member States to reunite adult children with their families, but the risks faced by families like mine mean that in many cases adult children – like my sisters - are just as vulnerable as younger family members. Eligibility should be based on the reality of the risks people are facing and prioritise keeping vulnerable family members safe.”