Athens, 23 June 2025
On 19 June 2025, an 11-year-old child arrived at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport and was reunited with his mother and little sister after years of waiting. The mother was forced to leave her country in 2019 due to persecution. She arrived in Greece the same year and was recognised as a refugee in 2022. Immediately after her recognition, she submitted an application for family reunification to bring her minor son to live with her.
After many years of persistent legal interventions by the lawyers of the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), from the certification of the necessary family reunification documents, the interview before the Asylum Service, to the issuance of the child's entry visa, the family is now reunited.
"This reunification reminds us that behind every legal act there is a human story that deserves to be heard. Family reunification is a fundamental right, and no administrative obstacle from the competent authorities should prevent it from happening, especially when the best interest of the child is at stake," emphasise GCR lawyers Eleni Kagiou and Chara Katsigianni.
In practice, the process of family reunification for recognised refugees in Greece (Presidential Decree 131/2006) is extremely difficult for refugees. For this reason, legal assistance is essential due to the obstacles and challenges they face both before the Asylum Service and before the Greek Consulates.
GCR has successfully supported numerous of such cases, providing legal assistance to recognised refugees under a specialised family reunification programme of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Recent cuts to the UN budget, due to the reduction or suspension of funding from the US, threaten the GCR's ability to provide legal assistance in family reunification procedures.
