A refugee tried to bring in two wives and his eight children
The Austrian federal government has temporarily suspended family reunification for migrants, but intriguing details have recently emerged about attempts by some asylum seekers to bring more than one wife to the country, especially from countries like Syria, where polygamy is legally permitted up to four wives.
The Austrian Ministry of the Interior clarified to the newspaper 'Krone' that Austrian law only allows the entry of one wife, although there have been documented cases where refugees indicated the existence of two wives in their home country. The ministry added that some tried to present the second wife as a 'daughter', but thanks to DNA tests, these tricks did not succeed.
Despite these measures, sometimes convoluted methods are used. In one controversial case, a Syrian refugee born in 1992 submitted a family reunification request last year for eight children and only one wife. However, investigations conducted by the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) revealed through DNA tests that the children were born between January 2019 and mid-2022, which led the authorities to doubt his account, as having this number of children with one wife during that period is practically impossible.
After the investigation, the man clarified that he was married to two women in Syria, each of whom gave birth to four children. Accordingly, the Federal Office rejected the reunification of the 'second wife', but approved the entry of the 'first wife' and the eight children. Nevertheless, the case remains pending due to the government decision to freeze reunification applications, and the freeze is expected to continue until at least September 2026.
Legal experts pointed out to the newspaper 'Kurier' that the four children belonging to the second wife can, as soon as they enter the country, submit a request to bring their mother, based on the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees children's right to live with their parents. However, since Austrian law does not recognize polygamy, the man will have to officially choose only one wife.
The issue has raised strong discontent among the ÖVP and FPÖ parties. Nico Marchetti, the Secretary General of the ÖVP, stated that "those who seek to normalize polygamy have no place in Austria," emphasizing that the decision to halt family reunification, tighten integration laws, and activate accompanying penalties are steps in the right direction to ensure the transfer of Austrian societal values to immigrants.
The Deputy Governor of Niederösterreich, Udo Landbauer (from FPÖ), described the situation as "terrible," pointing out that "backward lifestyles" are being introduced to the country through asylum and welcome policies. He strongly criticized the Syrian man for having eight children with two wives over 40 months, stating that he "exploited the Austrian social system."
According to reports, only 14 Syrians were allowed entry last January, while more than 3,600 people are waiting for their family reunification requests to be processed. Despite the freeze, cases where children are in their home country without an adult to care for them are exempted.