“DNA Testing for Family Reunification of Refugees in Austria

“DNA Testing for Family Reunification of Refugees in Austria

The Austrian government intends to take new measures to control the influx of refugees’ family members. DNA testing to prove familial ties is one of these measures.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer wants to curb the entry of refugee family members through genetic testing and other measures.

This conservative official of the Austrian government told the media on Sunday that as part of the measures in the family reunification process, reviews by experts in document assessment and security officers should be intensified.

The Chancellor of Austria said, ‘We will restrict family reunifications through stringent checks.’

However, this senior official did not specify how many cases of incorrect information have been found so far.

Family reunifications of close relatives of refugees had previously been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, Vienna, the capital of Austria, is facing an increase in the number of such arrivals.

Christoph Wiederkehr, head of the city’s Education Council, says that each month, educational places must be found for about 350 children.

Given this challenge, containers are being used as new classrooms in schools.

In the first three months of this year, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior recorded 6,900 asylum applications. Among these individuals, 45 percent entered Austria through family reunification. Last year, this figure was 16 percent.”