European Women's Lobby & Network of Migrant Women: Response to EC Green Paper on Family Reunification

The EWL and the ENoMW believe that disproportionally high housing and income requirements for Sponsors do not serve social, economic and civic inclusion. We are concerned that more and heavier demands are being posed on the potential migrant sponsors.
Although the Directive was meant to promote better integration of migrants and guarantee their right to reunite with their families, the implementation of the Directive by the member states has not delivered on this rationale. The latest Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX III) illustrates well this problem by outlining the restrictions already faced by applicants from third-country nationals with regard to family reunification. “Applicants must prove a ‘stable and sufficient’ income, often [vaguely defined] and higher than what nationals need [in order] to live on social assistance. An increasing number of countries impose language or integration conditions, extending these to spouses before arrival. Families tend to acquire both a secure residence permit and equal rights, but in order to obtain an autonomous residence permit, they face significant waiting periods and conditions.”
Many states, in particular in Northern Europe, demand specific levels of resources (income and / or housing) from those seeking to reunite their families. Access to resources is therefore crucial in enabling women to sponsor either partners or children. Yet the resources they have at their disposal, especially through employment, are far less than for men. Conditions linked to housing and incomes for example, put migrant women at a direct disadvantage because they are often low earners and often employed in low skilled jobs. For example, 44% of migrant women are employed, compared with 68% of  European-born women. Women in the EU earn on average 17% less than men; migrant women earn an extra 10% less than women in general. Furthermore, compared to native-born women in Austria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Sweden, over three times the percentage of migrant women are overqualified for the jobs they undertake...Read more