Health & Family reunification

Family reunification rules depend heavily on your specific status (refugee, subsidiary/temporary protection, work or study visa holder) — the same country can treat two people very differently. Use this as an orientation, and confirm your own eligibility directly with the linked agency.

Recognised refugees and people granted asylum can generally bring a spouse and minor children (Familiennachzug) without having to show they can financially support them, if the application is made within three months of recognition. Important: since 24 July 2025, Germany has suspended family reunification for people with subsidiary protection status (a lower tier of protection short of full refugee status) for two years, until 23 July 2027 — this does not affect people with full refugee or asylum status.

Official source: Federal Foreign Office, visa service FAQ — https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/visa-service/buergerservice/faq/606848-606848

Everyone resident in Germany is required to have health insurance, most commonly through the statutory system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung); asylum seekers' initial healthcare is covered separately under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act until status is decided.

Refugees and people with subsidiary protection status in Sweden can generally apply for their spouse/partner and minor children to join them (anhöriginvandring) through the Swedish Migration Agency; a maintenance requirement generally applies but has exceptions for those who apply within three months of receiving their residence permit.

Official source: Migrationsverket, "Moving to someone in Sweden" — https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/moving-to-someone-in-sweden.html

Healthcare is organised regionally (via each region's healthcare service) and is available to asylum seekers at a reduced-fee rate from arrival; those granted a residence permit get full access on the same terms as Swedish residents.

People granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK can apply for their partner and children to join them under refugee family reunion rules, which — unlike the standard Family visa — do not carry a minimum income requirement.

Official source: GOV.UK, "Apply for a Refugee Family Reunion visa" — https://www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk-as-the-family-member-of-a-refugee

The NHS is free at the point of use for asylum seekers and refugees; registering with a local GP practice (a doctor does not require proof of address or immigration status to register you) is the normal way to access it.

Refugees resettled to or recognised in Canada can sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent children to join them through IRCC's family sponsorship program, generally with reduced financial requirements compared with other sponsorship categories.

Official source: Government of Canada, "Sponsor your family" — https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship.html

Healthcare is provincial; most provinces have a waiting period (often up to three months) before provincial coverage starts for new permanent residents, though refugees and asylum claimants are generally covered from arrival under the federal Interim Federal Health Program.

People granted asylum in the US can petition for a spouse and unmarried minor children to join them as "following to join" asylees, generally without the income sponsorship required for other family-based immigration categories.

Official source: USCIS, "Refugee and Asylee Family Reunification" — https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/refugee-and-asylee-family-reunification

There is no universal public health system; asylees and refugees are generally eligible for Medicaid or other public coverage for a period after arrival, separate from — and usually broader than — the eligibility rules for other immigrant categories, who more often rely on employer coverage or the ACA marketplace.