The competent authorities in Vienna have indicated a huge increase in the number of alleged family members.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer would have a DNA test performed on the close relatives of those with refugee status, in order to curb the number of immigrants entering the country. The Conservative chancellor announced on Sunday the increased use of genetic tests used to prove family ties.

"We limit family reunification with strict controls," Nehammer declared. However, he did not mention the number of frauds discovered.

As part of the family reunification process, the verification process carried out by document experts and security specialists will also be tightened

- the chancellor told the Austrian news agency APA.

In the past, the coronavirus epidemic presented obstacles to the close relatives of immigrants with refugee status, but now the competent authorities in Vienna have indicated a huge increase in the number of alleged family members.

The Ministry of the Interior registered approximately 6,900 asylum applications during the first quarter, 45 percent of which were submitted by persons who received an entry permit to Austria as part of the family reunification program. In the previous year, this proportion was only 16 percent.

MTI

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