publication

Family reunification

Authors:
Mariana FEROLLA VALLANDRO DO VALLE
2025
Reuniting with one's family members is one of the most common factors influencing international migration. Yet, the international legal framework defining who possesses such a right is fractured and often unclear. The right to family reunification is broadly established under human rights law through rights tied to the protection of the family. A few other international instruments, most often of regional character, also provide for a specific right to family reunification. Nevertheless, states often use family reunification as a means of immigration control, imposing conditions and limitations on the exercise of this right, especially regarding what constitutes a family and which family members are allowed to reunite in the host country. Further development of the standards applicable to these situations and consistency in their application are thus needed to fully clarify the content of the right family reunification.