legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

Reunification is conditional on the refugee proving that he/she has earned a minimum income
during the six months before the submission of the application for family reunification and upon
him/her committing him/herself to cover all expenses related to the stay in Greece of the family
members.
In practice, the refugee residing in Greece must submit the required documents to the Aliens
Police, which forward them to the Ministry of Public Order with a recommendation. Provided that
the conditions are met, the case is then transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is
responsible for issuing the visa to the family members abroad. In many cases, the Greek Council
for Refugees assists refugees in this procedure.
Family members arriving in Greece on the basis of family reunification have the same rights and
obligations as the refugee living in the country and they are issued with a similar residence
permit.
Statistics (source MPO statistics)
Number of applications submitted in Greece
1996 1,640
1997 4,380
1998 2,953
1999 1,528
Number of Convention statuses granted
Number of Convention statuses
1996 160
1997 130
1998 156
1999 146
Number of residence permits for humanitarian reasons
Number of residence permits for humanitarian reasons
1996 not available
1997 not available
1998 386
1999 407
Main national groups
Main national groups seeking asylum in Greece in 1999
Iraq 906
Turkey 195
Afghanistan 116
Iran 74
131
Greece