Suspect Families: DNA Kinship Testing in German Immigration Policy

Since the 1990s, many countries around the world have begun to use DNA testing to establish biological relatedness in family reunification cases. Family reunification refers to the right of family members living abroad to join relatives who hold long-term residence permits or are citizens of a given country. Using Germany as an exemplary case, the article explores different societal implications and consequences of parental testing for family reunification. Special attention is drawn to the implicit model of family and kinship that informs this immigration regime. We argue that DNA analyses for family reunification establish and strengthen a biological family model which is in contrast to the more pluralistic and social concepts of family in Germany and in many societies in Europe and North America. The argument is based on a document analysis and interviews with representatives of NGOs and immigration authorities, lawyers, geneticists, and applicants for family reunification.