Austria’s government has approved a temporary pause on family reunifications for asylum seekers. The proposal will be introduced in the National Council and could be adopted as early as April. The plan is for the government to have the option to suspend family reunification applications through an ordinance, starting in mid-May this year.

“We are at the limits of our capacity, and that’s why we are pressing the stop button,” explained Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP) after the cabinet meeting. The government’s goal is to protect the systems from further overload, with particular concerns about the education system, which is struggling due to the influx of partially illiterate refugees.

According to Plakolm, Austria is allowed to deviate from EU asylum law with this proposal. The new special regulation will be implemented through a government ordinance in agreement with the National Council’s main committee, and it will last until the end of September 2026.