Erfurt (dpa/th) - The so-called chances of residence planned by the federal government could help almost 2,000 foreigners in Thuringia to secure residence status. At the end of April, around 4,600 foreigners were registered as tolerated in the Free State, as a spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) announced on request. Around 1,900 of them had been in Germany for at least five years.
Last week, the Federal Ministry of the Interior presented a draft for the introduction of a so-called opportunity right of residence agreed in the coalition agreement. This is intended for those who, as of January 1, 2022, "have been living in Germany for five years or more and are well integrated, but only have a toleration," said Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). Those who benefit from the planned rule should initially be given a one-year right of residence.
Toleration means that a foreigner is actually obliged to leave the country, but deportation has been temporarily suspended. Backgrounds could be illness or missing passport documents, said a spokeswoman for the Thuringian Ministry of Migration. The unwillingness of individual countries of origin to accept them or the situation on the ground - she cited Afghanistan as an example - could also lead to toleration.
