The Migration Policy Group has published the fourth in a series of policy briefings to help policymakers and stakeholders respond to the European Commission's Consultation on the EU Family Reunion Directive
One major assumption behind family reunion policymaking is that policy determines how many families are able to reunite in a country of destination.
Surprisingly, this assumption has never been proved quantitatively across countries, despite its serious implications for both immigration flows and fundamental rights under national, European, and international law.
The non-EU family reunion rate is a simple new measure used in this briefing to compare the outcomes of family reunion policies. It describes how common or uncommon non-EU family reunion is in a country.
The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) compares family reunion policies. It analyses whether countries facilitate the right to family reunion as a means to facilitate integration. Spearman's correlation analysis of MIPEX and Eurostat statistics identifies a very strong positive relationship between non-EU family reunion rates and policies. Recent evaluations in a handful of countries have found that specific policies like pre-entry tests, high income requirements, and high age limits have affected family reunion rates.
This briefing's more broad analysis of 22 countries and 20 policy indicators suggests that most restrictions will likely function as obstacles to the right to family reunion. Policies that become more restrictive, selective, and discretionary systematically restrict the number of sponsors and families who reunite. The effects of policy restrictions on family reunions cannot be denied or ignored, since family reunion is a right enshrined in EU law. The burden is on supporters of restrictions to prove their claims that reducing the number of reuniting families effectively improves the integration of reuniting families. How does keeping a sponsor from her family help her participate in her new country? Do policies that make reunion harder for some families really make the situation any better for other families in society?
The four MPG Family Reunion briefings are:
Confronting stereo-types, understanding family life
Right to family reunion - the dynamics between EU law and national policy change plus Annexes 1 and 2
Impact of new family reunion tests and requirements on the integration process
NEW on 07/12/11: Restrictions 'in name of integration' separate families in practice
Click here to download the briefings.
