The European Convention on Human Rights and its impact on the right to family life of foreigners

Abstract

The present contribution aims to analyze the complex and evolving case law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the respect for "family life" as enshrined in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The objective is to examine the impact that this dynamic jurisprudential development has on the protection of family life for foreign individuals, particularly in cases of family reunification and expulsion from European territory. To achieve this, an inductive methodological approach has been chosen, combining the analysis of the case law of the Strasbourg Court with the main doctrinal works in the field, which is essential to understand the scope of the analyzed regulations. From the analysis of Strasbourg jurisprudence in this matter, it can be inferred that there is a need to reconsider the Court's approach to the balancing of interests, particularly the primary consideration of the best interests of the child in cases where denial of entry or expulsion decisions disrupt the proper development and protection of the family life of migrant children.