The family reunification process for those granted subsidiary protection has been suspended as of July 2025. Nevertheless, authorities in Germany have issued a total of 18,570 visas for relatives of protection beneficiaries between January 2025 and May 2026, according to information reported by the “Welt,” which cites a response from the federal government to a query from the AfD party to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
When looking at the top ten nationalities, the federal government has issued 229 visas for relatives of asylum beneficiaries, 10,241 for relatives of recognized refugees, and 7,278 for the aforementioned subsidiaries protection group. The suspension for this final group is officially regulated for a two-year period, commencing in July 2025.
The Interior Ministry stated that this issuance number does not contradict the suspension because the majority of these visas were processed before the regulation took effect. Other factors included instances where courts enforced visa issuance or where authorities had already made assurances prior to the law change.
Syrians constitute the largest group of beneficiaries, accounting for approximately half of these cases, followed by Turkish citizens and Afghans. Since the suspension came into effect, it appears that very few new applications have been submitted.
Broader data reveals that in 2025, Germany granted a total of 128,358 visas for family reunification covering affiliates of third-country nationals. This group included not only protection beneficiaries but also skilled workers, academics from outside the EU, and other migrants from third countries. Spousal reunification made up the largest block with 67,831 visas, while children’s reunification accounted for 54,882 visas. The leading origin countries overall included Turkey, Syria, India, and Kosovo. By the end of May 2026, an additional 43,739 visas had been issued.
