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Family members are entitled to at least the same status as the sponsor. However, upon arrival in Austria, they submit an application to the police to obtain such protection, and an assessment is carried out to inquire whether they may have their own reasons for seeking international protection.
In a ruling of November 2017, the VwGH stated that the principles of the Family Reunification Directive need not be complied with in the family procedure set out in Article 35 AsylG and that the BFA was not obliged to grant the family members international protection in the particular case, since Article 35 AsylG offers more favourable standards to the Directive.[1]
[1] VwGH, Decision Ra 2017/19/0218, 22 November 2017, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3Tp6ysu.