The right to family reunification in a migratory context: a human rights analysis with a focus on the best interests of the child and evolving family structures

This PhD research aims to provide a critical human rights analysis of the right to family reunification in the context of migration law. Multiple human rights perspectives will be employed, including the right to respect for private and family life, the international framework concerning the rights of the child, and the principles of equality and non-discrimination. There is a particular interest in recent societal evolutions, namely the rise of non-traditional family structures, the growing attention to the effective implementation of the best interests of the child as a procedural and substantive safeguard, and the evolving nature of migration law from a human right to a policy-driven instrument. Methodologically, the research will combine classic doctrinal research, legal-historical methods, systematic case law analyses, and possible empirical methods.