Teen refugees can apply for families to join them in EU: court
Winning approval for refugees' families to join them in Europe can become more difficult for adults
The European Court of Justice ruled on a Dutch case in which authorities rejected an application by an Eritrean who arrived as a minor. PHOTO: REUTERS
LUXEMBOURG:
Refugees who enter the European Union alone as minors can apply to be reunited with their families, even if they reach legal adulthood before the end of the process, the EU's top court ruled on Thursday.
At the peak of Europe's migrant crisis in 2015, 96,465 lone children applied for asylum in the EU, although numbers have fallen since then.
Invest in migrants to avert 'nuclear bomb' of unrest in Europe, says EU official
The European Court of Justice ruled on a Dutch case in which authorities rejected an application by an Eritrean who arrived as a minor for her family to obtain temporary residence permits.
Since her paperwork was not submitted by a refugee organisation until after she turned 18, the application was rejected because she no longer could be considered an "unaccompanied minor".
Winning approval for refugees' families to join them in Europe can become more difficult if they are considered adults.
EU court rejects refugee sexuality tests
However, the court determined that the Dutch rejection breached EU law, saying it would otherwise be "entirely unforeseeable" for a minor to understand whether they had the right to seek asylum for their families.
It ruled that applications for family reunification should be made within three months of a minor obtaining refugee status.
Refugees who enter the European Union alone as minors can apply to be reunited with their families, even if they reach legal adulthood before the end of the process, the EU's top court ruled on Thursday.
At the peak of Europe's migrant crisis in 2015, 96,465 lone children applied for asylum in the EU, although numbers have fallen since then.
Invest in migrants to avert 'nuclear bomb' of unrest in Europe, says EU official
The European Court of Justice ruled on a Dutch case in which authorities rejected an application by an Eritrean who arrived as a minor for her family to obtain temporary residence permits.
Since her paperwork was not submitted by a refugee organisation until after she turned 18, the application was rejected because she no longer could be considered an "unaccompanied minor".
Winning approval for refugees' families to join them in Europe can become more difficult if they are considered adults.
EU court rejects refugee sexuality tests
However, the court determined that the Dutch rejection breached EU law, saying it would otherwise be "entirely unforeseeable" for a minor to understand whether they had the right to seek asylum for their families.
It ruled that applications for family reunification should be made within three months of a minor obtaining refugee status.