Family reunification conference 9-10 September 2021

Conference theme

The International Conference “(Dis)connecting People? The law and practice of family reunification” took place on 9-10 September 2021 in Ghent.

Family reunification is a legal pathway to (re)unite family members living in different countries. It is a complex field of law, as different rules apply depending on the nationality and status of the persons involved. During the past decades, rules on family reunification have been made more stringent, especially for third country nationals. From a human rights perspective, the right to respect for family life has only in specific circumstances led to an obligation for states to admit family members. Families are thus increasingly facing legal and practical obstacles, which have an impact on their psychosocial well-being and intra-family relationships, both during and after the family reunification process. From a societal perspective, family reunification regimes and practices are key to reflect on a wide number of debates in social sciences, such as the limits of transnationalism and the gap between legal frameworks, institutional policies and street level bureaucracy.

Keynote speakers

Our two keynote speakers were Prof. em. Kees Groenendijk (Radboud University) and Prof. Betty de Hart (VU Amsterdam).

Prof. em. Kees Groenendijk is a professor emeritus Sociology of Law and Migration Law. He works for the Centre for Migration Law (Radboud University, Netherlands), where he studies the regulation of migration and the legal status of migrants in the Netherlands and in Europe. His most recent publications are on the regulation of family migration and labour migration, the status of long-established immigrants, and the creation and effects of the new EU directives on migration and asylum.

Prof. Betty de Hart is a professor of transnational families and migration law at Vrije Universiteit. She conducts legal, empirical and historical research on the national, European and international rules that transnational families encounter, the views behind these rules as well as the impact on the everyday lives of transnational families. Family migration, citizenship, gender, racialisation and belonging are central issues in her research.

Programme

You can find the final programme here.

Organising committee

Dr. Milena Belloni, FWO, Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp

Sarah Den Haese, Institute for Private International Law, Ghent University

Prof. Ellen Desmet, Migration Law Research Group, Ghent University

Hester Kroeze, Ghent European Law Institute, Ghent University

Ayse Güdük, Migration Law Research Group, Ghent University

Prof. Dirk Vanheule, Government & Law Research Group, University of Antwerp

Prof. Peter Van Elsuwege, Ghent European Law Institute, Ghent University

Prof. Jinske Verhellen, Institute for Private International Law, Ghent University

Prof. Gert Verschraegen, Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp