This Inform presents a brief overview of the EMN Synthesis study on Family Reunification of Third-Country Nationals in the EU plus Norway: National Practices.
Key points to note:
- As one of the main avenues for legal migration to the EU, family reunification accounts for approximately a third of all arrivals of Third-Country Nationals (TCNs).
- Member States usually extend the scope of family reunification beyond the nuclear family, which consists of core members such as the mother, father and their minor unmarried children.
- Most Member States require sponsors and / or family members to fulfil certain material requirements in order to exercise the right to family reunification, including accommodation, health insurance and/ or sufficient financial resources.
- Many Member States do not set a waiting period before a sponsor’s family is eligible to apply for family reunification, but where this provision applies, the waiting period can vary between one, one and a half, two or three years.
See also:
