European Union: Court Holds that In-Person Family Reunification Application Submission Requirement is Against EU Law

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that any EU country’s national legislation requiring a sponsor’s family members to submit a family reunification application in person without providing process-based expectations ahead of time is unlawful, particularly for refugees. The ECJ emphasized that submitting the initial application remotely is safer; however, family members may still need to appear in person at a later stage in the application process.  EU Member States must follow ECJ rulings; however, in practice, amendments to national legislation to comply with ECJ holding may take several months or years.