According to a decision of the highest court, the Netherlands must initially allow the entry of relatives of recognized refugees without restrictions. The highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled in The Hague on Thursday in favor of international law on family reunification. The interests of families must be more valued than the interests of the State. It is already the fourth sentence against the controversial restriction of the right to family reunification.
Refugees, on the other hand, successfully processed
Since autumn, relatives of refugees with residency status have only been granted a visa to the Netherlands after 15 months or only if they can prove that they have their own apartment. The centre-right government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte justified this measure with bottlenecks in the accommodation of asylum seekers. However, several refugees successfully sued. The judges determined that this measure violated national law and international conventions. Now, the government had sought an injunction against these verdicts. They are expected to be suspended pending the administrative court’s final ruling on this dispute, likely in January. But the board refused.