On December 31, 2022, a new right of residence law has come into effect in Germany, the “Opportunity Residence Act” (“Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht”, § 104c AufenthG). People who hold a tolerated stay permit (Duldung) and have entered Germany before October 31, 2017 can now obtain an 18-month right of residence. Many people living in Sachsen-Anhalt have already applied for a residence permit under §104c AufenthG, and the first decisions have been issued.

But many people who would like to apply under the Opportunity Residence Act are facing obstacles. We have also learned that there have been quite a number of instances where the authorities have prevented people from accessing their right to apply under the Opportunity Residence Act.

In order to gain a clearer picture of the conduct and decisions of the authorities in Sachsen-Anhalt in this matter, we ask for your help: we would appreciate it very much if as many people as possible shared their experiences applying for a residence permit under § 104c AufenthG with us. You can either use the form below or email us directly at helen.deffner@fluechtlingsrat-lsa.de.