News & Resources

At IRAP’s Europe Office, a Focus on Reuniting Families

Originally founded in the United States, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) has had offices in Amman, Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon for many years, to provide direct, in-person legal services to displaced people seeking humanitarian assistance in Jordan and Lebanon, as well as family reunification and lasting refuge in other countries. In 2021, IRAP officially expanded its services to Europe by opening its IRAP Europe office in Berlin, Germany.

Since 2018 – in response to attacks on traditional resettlement pathways to the United States – our Complementary Pathways team has been dedicated to helping displaced people identify and access alternative pathways to safety, often in European countries. IRAP Europe continues to explore options for complementary pathways, like family reunification, humanitarian visas, humanitarian corridors, and private sponsorship.

As with our offices in the Americas and the Middle East, IRAP Europe uses the power of the law to help displaced people from around the world find a safe place to live and a safe way to get there. IRAP’s staff and growing pro bono network offer direct legal representation for individuals and families in need of safety, and use the lessons learned from our clients and casework to create new pathways that open the door for resettlement and challenge government policies that restrict displaced people’s access to safe, lasting refuge.

IRAP Europe has assembled a staff with vast legal training and experience in various European countries, and has developed valuable partnerships with European NGOs that allow IRAP to continue its work on behalf of refugees and displaced people on a much wider scale.

Learn more about IRAP Europe’s staff and their work:

Meet the team!

Kristine Rembach, Director of Complementary Pathways

Aicha El Sadda, Complementary Pathways Caseworker

Peter Varga, Staff Attorney

Dr. Corinna Ujkašević, Germany Family Reunification Expert