{"id":208,"date":"2021-08-25T13:18:37","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T13:18:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/?page_id=208"},"modified":"2026-03-11T13:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:48:12","slug":"family-reunification","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/family-reunification\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Reunification"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is refugee family reunification?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Family reunification brings together family members living in different countries. Refugee family reunification is where a family was separated and at least one member of the family was recognised as a refugee, or complementary protection holder, by the country he\/she lives in. This refugee can then apply for his\/her family to join them in that country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Can I apply for family reunification?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you receive refugee or complementary protection status in your country of asylum, you can then apply for eligible family members to join you. You will then have the status of a \u201csponsor\u201d or \u201cpetitioner\u201d of your family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The family members eligible for family reunification depends on the country where you live. Most national laws allow for spouses, parents of minor children and dependent children to reunify with you.\u00a0 In some countries other dependent family members can also apply.\u00a0 Eligible family members are often referred to as \u201capplicants\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon acceptance and issuance of relevant visas, your family may travel to be reunited with you.\u00a0 On arrival they will be granted a residence permit (the type of permit differs between countries).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be mindful that specific deadlines and procedures apply, depending on the country where you reside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Which countries have family reunification programmes for refugees?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dedicated refugee family reunification procedures exist in most countries. These programmes differ from the family sponsorship routes for other migrants (non-refugees) and are often more favourable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where can I find further information on family reunification and details of how to apply?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find links to information about some family reunification programs below. If you are looking for information about family reunification in a country that is not listed here, please visit the government website of the country where your family is living, and search for \u201cfamily reunification.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is refugee family reunification? Family reunification brings together family members living in different countries. Refugee family reunification is where a family was separated and at least one member of the family was recognised as a refugee, or complementary protection holder, by the country he\/she lives in. This refugee can then apply for his\/her family [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/sectioned.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-208","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1195,"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/208\/revisions\/1195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.unhcr.org\/afghanistan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}