Family Reunification Pathways

Family reunification pathways are legal ways provided by governments that help refugees join their families. These pathways protect the refugees’ right to live with their family, following national, regional, and international laws. The process usually includes immediate family members, and in some cases, close and extended family members. It may also exceptionally consider family members who depend on the refugee, even if they are not immediate family, so they can stay together and enjoy family life. Many destination countries require the applicant who resides there to file a family reunification application for the family members outside the country with the concerned government department of that country. However, for a few countries, the application has to be lodged at the respective embassy where the relative outside the destination country is residing.   

Dedicated refugee family reunification procedures exist in most countries. For more information on country-specific criteria for family reunification and how to apply, please go to the family reunification/reunion section for the destination country on the UNHCR help website: help.unhcr.org or the official government website of that destination country. Families are strongly recommended to work with an immigration lawyer in the destination country to increase the likelihood of a successful application. 

Details of Family Reunification Programs for Certain Destination Countries: 

• US –  

• Asylees or resettled refugees recognized by US Government under I-730 Process  

• SIV Holders – Iraqis and Afghans  

• US Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) under I-130 Process  
• Canada 

• Refugees recognized by Canadian Government  

• Resettled refugees via UNHCR’s resettlement program, private sponsorship programs, Joint Assistance Sponsorship program (JAS), and Blended Visa Office Referred Refugee program) under One-Year Window (OYW) of Opportunity Provision 

• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugees under Family Class immigration Program 

• Australia –  

• Australian citizens, permanent residents, resettled refugees, individuals who were granted permanent protection status by the Australian government under Refugee and Humanitarian Visa program (Class XB) 

• Australian citizens, or permanent residents under regular migration streams 

• United Kingdom – 

• Individuals with protection status: Refugee status; or humanitarian protection; or Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) following a grant of refugee status or humanitarian protection; or been resettled as a refugee to the UK under a resettlement scheme. 

• UK citizens under UK spouse or partner visa (Appendix FM) 
• Germany – 

• Refugees (recognized by the German government) or resettled refugees 

• Persons with subsidiary protection 

• Individuals with a national ban on deportation 

• German Citizens or Migrants with a permanent residence permit 

• Sweden –  

• Permanent residence permit holders, residence permit holders as a refugee or a person eligible for subsidiary protection, persons holding a residence permit due to impediments to enforcement or exceptionally distressing circumstances 

• Swedish citizens 

• Netherlands – 

• Asylum residence permit holders 

• Dutch citizens 

• France – 

• Refugees / stateless or Subsidiary protection status holders  

• Persons residing in France regularly for at least 18 months or persons holding residence permit for at least 1 year 

UNHCR has a global partnership with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). This enables operations, globally, to refer eligible families with relatives in France, Germany, Sweden, US and UK to IRAP if they require legal assistance. 

UNHCR India’s Family Reunification Navigation Assistance Initiative (FRUN) 

UNHCR India has launched a Family Reunification (FRU) Navigation Assistance Initiative for refugees and asylum seekers in India who are seeking to reunite with their eligible family members in third countries to secure legal assistance and counselling on the eligibility criteria. 

UNHCR in collaboration with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA India) is implementing the FR initiative. Eligible applicants may contact ADRA India through email at [email protected] or by phone at: 011-45705611 for more information. Please ensure that you also mark UNHCR’s complementary pathways mailbox: [email protected] in your communication. 

Please see the program eligibility criteria below. 

Program Criteria: 

Eligible refugees and asylum seekers in India with immediate and close family members in destination/third countries who are in need of legal assistance are invited to submit requests for navigation assistance and counselling. Commonly qualifying family relationships include:  

• Spouse (wife or husband)  

• Children under 18 years in age (or upto 21 years in some countries depending upon the eligibility) 

• Parents of a minor child in a third country. In addition to biological parents, adoptive/foster parents, step-parents, or legal guardians may qualify – depending upon the eligibility requirements of the destination country. 

In exceptional situations, adult child(ren), parents of adults and adult biological siblings may also be eligible to be reunited with their family members in third countries though eligibility depends on requirements set by the destination/third countries and processing may take many years.   

To check the eligibility criteria, please visit help.unhcr.org and select the destination country for family reunification information or refer the official government website of the destination country.  

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

1. UNHCR is NOT creating a new pathway for family reunification. UNHCR’s partner ADRA India will only assist refugees and asylum seekers in India who lack the support and resources for legal assistance to understand their legal rights and navigate existing visa pathways offered by destination countries. The visa application requirements vary country-to-country and are determined by the destination countries. UNHCR and our partner(s) do not set or control these requirements. For those who may meet the eligibility criteria set by the destination country and for whom a viable visa route is identified, UNHCR and our partner(s) will try to identify pro-bono/low bono-legal service provider in the destination country to review and assist the case for legal assistance.  

2. UNHCR and our partner(s) are NOT responsible for filing family reunification applications and bearing the associated financial costs.  The responsibility to file an application rests with the family, not with UNHCR and our partner(s). While UNHCR’s and our partners’ services are free of charge, there may be application fees, biometric processing fees, health screening fees, and DNA testing fees levied by the destination country government. The destination country may also require the anchor/host relative to demonstrate adequate financial resources to support the relative being reunited. UNHCR is not responsible for any application-related and other expense such as travel costs and these expenses must be borne solely by the family. 

3. UNHCR’s partner ADRA India will only assist those who may meet the eligibility criteria set by the destination countries. If you believe you meet the eligibility criteria for assistance, please email ADRA India at [email protected] and also copy UNHCR at [email protected] with the subject line: “Family Reunification | [Your UNHCR ID number].” In your email, provide the following information and attach the corresponding documents: 

1. Details of each of the eligible Applicant(s) in India, including: 

• Full Name 

• UNHCR India registration number  

• Contact information (telephone and email) 

• Current location in India 

• Languages Spoken Proficiently 

2. Proof of registration with UNHCR in India (registration card or certificate)  

3. Your national ID documents (passport, national ID card) 

4. Details of each family member(s) in the third country, including: 

• Full name 

• Relationship 

• Legal Status (e.g., refugee, permanent resident, citizen) 

• Contact Details (telephone number and email) 

• City/country of residence  

• Languages Spoken Proficiently 

5. Documents proving the relationship with the relative(s) in the third country (e.g., birth and/or marriage certificate) 

6. Proof of legal status of the relative(s) in the destination/third country (e.g., residency card, passport, etc.)  

7. Indicate whether your relatives have their own attorney/lawyer in the destination country 

8. Indicate whether you already have an ongoing family reunification visa application submitted to the destination country. If so, provide the application number, date of application, and status of the application if known. 

The information shared will be screened by UNHCR and our partner(s) to determine the appropriate support required. The data and documents provided will be stored securely and shared internally within UNHCR only if necessary. If there is a need to share the information externally, UNHCR will obtain verbal or written consent from the applicant.  

4. The navigation assistance process may take time. Eligible applicants are welcome to seek legal assistance independently. For more information on free legal services, kindly visit www.help.unhcr.org and select the destination country. Please be patient as requests for these services is extremely high. Do not send multiple requests for the same case. 

5. UNHCR and our partner(s) do NOT influence processing timelines and application decisions of the application by the destination country. Typically, successful visa applications can take anywhere from several months to several years. UNHCR and our partner(s) do not set or control processing timelines for application processing. Further, the processing and adjudication of these applications are the sole responsibility of the respective third countries, and UNHCR is not involved in these procedures. 

VIDEO BY UNHCR: Reuniting families crucial for their survival and happiness