One year after family reunification was suspended for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has criticized the hardship allowance regulations as far too restrictive. Rasha Nasr, the SPD faction’s spokesperson on migration policy, told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that the evidence shows the hardship allowance system is failing.
Nasr noted that the number of hardship visas issued remains very low, generally in the single digits. She stressed that the scarcity of successful applications does not imply they were filed without justification. Instead, she blamed the highly restrictive rules. She argued that the permissible separation periods for parents and children are not family-friendly, but unconscionable, adding, “If a toddler can be separated from their parents for five years, and an older child for ten years, then there are few hardship cases left.” Furthermore, she argued that by making an impossible individual situation a prerequisite for receiving hardship aid, the system also overlooks larger crises, such as the situation in Gaza, which affect many people at once.
According to the Caritas organization, between the suspension of family reunification on July 24, 2025, and mid-May, 4,727 applications for hardship aid had been submitted by subsidiary protection beneficiaries, with 1,022 of those being reviewed. Only seven hardship visas were granted. This regulation is currently valid until July 2027.
In addition, Truels Reichardt, the SPD faction’s youth policy advisor, questioned the legality of placing these restrictions in place. He told the RND that “it is questionable whether the regulation is constitutionally sound if the hardship allowance system does not work.” He asserted that the special protection of the family is enshrined in the Basic Law. Reichardt also dismissed claims of extensive abuse, stating it was not about allowing entire clans to enter the country but strictly limited to reuniting the core family-meaning parents and their minor children. “The claim that abuse is widespread is an unsubstantiated allegation,” he added.
Nasr demanded that Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), who had spearheaded the suspension, clarify the tangible impact of the restrictions. She flatly ruled out the possibility of extending the two-year suspension. She stressed that it was already critical to begin processing outstanding applications now so that no further waiting periods arise after the policy expires in the summer of 2027.
Subsidiary protection beneficiaries are individuals who are not recognized as asylum seekers but are granted temporary residency because of threats in their home countries, such as those caused by war.
