Last checked against the official sources: 29 August 2026
Yes — family reunification with beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is suspended by law. The Act on the Suspension of Family Reunification with Beneficiaries of Subsidiary Protection entered into force on 24 July 2025, and no reunification with this group will be granted before 24 July 2027. But the door is not closed entirely: Sections 22 and 23 of the Residence Act are unaffected, and there is a defined official route for hardship cases that runs through the International Organization for Migration.
The law in brief
- Name of the act
- Gesetz zur Aussetzung des Familiennachzugs zu subsidiär Schutzberechtigten — the Act on the Suspension of Family Reunification with Beneficiaries of Subsidiary Protection.
- In force since
- 24 July 2025.
- Length of the suspension
- No reunification with beneficiaries of subsidiary protection before 24 July 2027.
- Stated aim
- To relieve the burden on Germany’s admission and integration systems.
- What happens afterwards
- A review will be conducted in good time before the end of the period to consider whether the suspension can and should be extended. If the act is not extended or otherwise amended, the rules applicable before the suspension automatically regain their validity.
- What is unaffected
- Sections 22 and 23 of the Residence Act — hardship cases can still be claimed under those provisions.
Who is covered and who is not — the most important distinction here
This is the confusion that leads many people to believe reunification has stopped in Germany altogether. The suspension concerns one defined legal category: beneficiaries of subsidiary protection — those granted a residence permit under Section 25 (2) sentence 2 of the Residence Act.
The suspension does not cover recognised refugees, holders of work, study or EU Blue Card permits, reunification with a German national, or ordinary spouse reunification under Section 30. Those routes continue under their usual rules.
So if your relative in Germany holds a decision recognising them as a refugee, this suspension does not concern you. If they hold subsidiary protection, it does — and the hardship route below is what remains.
The hardship route: the only path open today
- First establish your relative’s status in GermanySubsidiary protection or refugee recognition? The difference decides whether this route concerns you at all. Ask for a copy of the decision of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees before taking any step.
- Understand what a “case of hardship” means in lawThe basis is Section 22 of the Residence Act, and in particular reasons of international law and urgent humanitarian grounds — which relate above all to the circumstances of each individual case, not to a general category.
- Report the case by email to the IOMSince 26 July 2025, cases of hardship must be reported by email to info.fap.hardship@iom.int under the Family Assistance Programme (FAP), which the organisation has operated for many years. State the reasons why your case is a case of hardship — a message without reasons is not a report.
- Wait for the preliminary inspection and the referralThe IOM forwards the report to the Federal Office of Administration for preliminary inspection, and thereafter to the competent mission abroad for review and decision. The decision therefore rests with the mission, not with the IOM.
- If hardship is established: a priority appointmentThe mission contacts you to arrange a priority appointment to apply for a visa. That is the one practical advantage this route offers.
- If it is not: you may still applyYou receive a written notification that the claim has been rejected. Even so, you remain free to submit a visa application. And if that application is rejected, the rejection notice itself contains official information on legal remedies: the form (filing an appeal), the place (the Berlin Administrative Court) and the deadline (one month from the date the notice is served).
Three mistakes that cost people the claim:
1) Confusing subsidiary protection with refugee status. Many postpone their application for two years believing the suspension covers them when it does not.
2) Sending a hardship report without reasons. The official text requires the reasons why a case of hardship exists — a general message is assessed on what it contains.
3) Missing the one-month deadline. After a visa refusal the one-month period for filing an appeal at the Berlin Administrative Court runs from the date of service, not from the day you happened to read it.
What the position was before the suspension — and why it matters
Before 24 July 2025, Section 36a of the Residence Act governed reunification with beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. Its text is still published, and it contains a detail worth understanding: there was never an entitlement to reunification for this group. The provision states expressly that it is a discretionary matter on humanitarian grounds, and it was capped at 1,000 national visas per month.
So the automatic return of the earlier rules after 24 July 2027 — if the act is not extended — means a return to a discretionary quota system, not to an open entitlement. Plan on that basis.
Official sources
The Federal Foreign Office notice on the suspension of family reunification · Section 36a AufenthG — reunification with beneficiaries of subsidiary protection · Section 22 — admission on urgent humanitarian grounds
Please note: this page is general guidance, not legal advice. Reunification cases are assessed individually — consult a lawyer specialising in immigration law or a migration advice centre before any decision concerning your family.
Frequently asked questions
Has family reunification in Germany been stopped?
It has been suspended for one defined group: beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. The Act on the Suspension of Family Reunification with Beneficiaries of Subsidiary Protection entered into force on 24 July 2025, and no reunification with this group is granted before 24 July 2027. Other routes continue under their usual rules.
Does the suspension cover recognised refugees?
No. It concerns beneficiaries of subsidiary protection only. People granted refugee status, holders of work, study or EU Blue Card permits, and those reuniting with a German national are all outside its scope.
What remains possible despite the suspension?
Sections 22 and 23 of the Residence Act are unaffected, and hardship cases can still be claimed under them — particularly reasons of international law and urgent humanitarian grounds within the meaning of Section 22, which relate to the circumstances of the individual case.
How do I report a case of hardship?
By email to info.fap.hardship@iom.int under the Family Assistance Programme run by the International Organization for Migration, since 26 July 2025, stating the reasons why a case of hardship exists. The IOM forwards the report to the Federal Office of Administration for preliminary inspection and then to the competent mission.
What happens if hardship is established?
The mission abroad contacts you to arrange a priority appointment to apply for a visa. If it is not established you receive a written rejection of the claim, and you remain free to submit a visa application nonetheless.
What do I do if the visa application is refused?
The rejection notice contains official information on legal remedies: filing an appeal at the Berlin Administrative Court within one month from the date the notice is served.
Will the suspension end automatically in 2027?
A review will be conducted in good time before the end of the period to consider whether it can and should be extended. If the act is not extended or amended, the earlier rules automatically regain validity — that is, the discretionary system of Section 36a with its cap of 1,000 visas a month, not an open entitlement.