Family reunification
Family reunification is the process by which a person who has received a form of international protection can bring their family members to Romania. It is a mechanism through which the family unity and the best interests of the child are guaranteed.
To better understand what this process entails, we share with you Samira’s story:
Background
Samira* received refugee status. She is a single mother from Cameroon, who has a baby of only a few months old in Romania and 5 other minor children left alone in her country of origin following the death of her husband, deprived of adequate care from relatives. Samira applied for family reunification, in order to bring the children to Romania, with her. This is where we intervened, offering her legal advice throughout the procedure, both regarding the necessary documents and regarding the subsequent steps related to obtaining visas and traveling to Romania. Along the way, we had to respond to several challenges and unforeseen situations to ensure that she could safely see her children again.
Obtaining visas
The first challenge was the special situation of the children, the youngest being only 6 years old, who would have had to travel over 2000 km round trip to have their visas issued by the Romanian Embassy, accompanied by their elderly grandfather. We made considerable efforts to obtain the exemption of the youngest children from this difficult journey, thus managing to obtain their exemption from the obligation of physical presence at the consulate. At the same time, we ensured that from a legal point of view, they would have all the necessary documents to obtain visas and to empower their grandfather to represent them before the embassy.
Leaving for Romania
After obtaining the visas, we encountered another challenge - the airline refused to issue the tickets. The company claimed that the children's visas were not compliant, a confusion created by the vast visa systems at the EU level, in which each country separately regulates the visa required for reunification. Despite our intervention, it refused to board the children, even after issuing the tickets. In this regard, we had to request the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Romanian Embassy that issued the visas, which offered official points of view to clarify their status.
However, this entire process delayed the procedure. The situation became critical, because the children's visas were approaching their expiration date, and they still had not purchased plane tickets. Their expiration would have meant resuming the process before the consulate, which would have involved a new trip of over 2,000 km round trip and new costs for the documents required in the visa application.
The solution
Finally, just a few days before their visas expired, the children managed to board a flight operated by another airline. Thus, they managed to reach Romania, where they applied for asylum and were officially recognized as refugees.
Samira managed to bring her children to the country, and they now benefit from the protection of the Romanian state alongside her. Family reunification is often a difficult and long-term process, which involves a complex strategy of legal assistance, international coordination and advocacy for the compliance to refugee rights. At the same time, the fact that we can support families to be together is invaluable.
Currently, the 5 children go to school and are making their first friends. Together with Samira, they are learning Romanian to integrate into our country.
* To protect the identity of the person, the name has been changed.