In situations of crisis or on the flight families often get separated. People who have been granted asylum in Germany have the right to apply for family reunification in order to bring their family members to Germany. This, however, only applies to spouses or biological children who are still minors or the biological parents of minors. Family unification is also known as spouse migration or children reunification. If an application for asylum is not granted yet, a person cannot apply for family reunification. Family reunification also occurred on a larger level after the ban on labour recruitment in 1973 when many labour migrants decided to settle in Germany permanently and brought families to live with them in the 1970s and 1980s.