Austria drafts law to deter Afghan migrants, U.N. criticizes - Reuters

Austria's cabinet, facing record numbers of asylum requests this year, proposed a tough new bill on Tuesday to deter Afghans that the United Nations refugee agency criticized as likely to increase the migrants' suffering.

The move follows the German interior minister's call for Afghans, who make up a large proportion of the hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, to stay in their home country.

Austria's new law would force most Afghans to wait for three years, rather than one year under current rules, to be able to bring family members to Austria. They would also have to have an independent source of income, health insurance and a flat.

The small Alpine country is the first west European country that hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and beyond reach on their trek westwards, and a major conduit for those moving on towards Germany and northern Europe. - Read More

Austria drafts law to deter Afghan migrants, U.N. criticizes ...