FECL 53 (January/February 1998):

ALIENS SUBJECTED TO GENETIC TESTS

Foreigners applying for entry visas to Germany on family reunification grounds are being genetically tested to determine whether their claims are true. The test is being used on a trial basis to screen Turkish and Iraqi visa applicants at the German Embassy in Ankara.

Many applicants use fake documents to try to back up their claim that they should benefit from visa rules allowing close relatives to join foreigners living in Germany, ministry spokesman Martin Erdmann said.

To rule out doubts, consular officials last December began taking saliva samples from visa applicants, which are compared with specimens from their purported relatives in Germany, officials said. The process can take several weeks.

Officials are keen to stress that the procedure benefits honest applicants, since it can help would-be immigrants who lack sufficient identity documents due to the administrative vacuum in northern Iraq prove that they have relatives in Germany.

The tests are done at the University of Münster at a cost of about US$55 each and must be paid for by the applicant and the relative in Germany.