One year after the introduction of the Opportunity Residence law, more than 47,000 migrants who have been living in Germany for years with 'tolerated status' have received a temporary residence permit.
The German interior ministry announced on Monday (December 18) that 47,531 applications for permits under the Opportunity Residence Act (Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht) had been approved as of the end of October. Most applicants came from Iraq, followed by Russia, Nigeria, Lebanon and Iran.
No information was available on the number of rejected applications or those still being processed, the dpa news agency reported.
Germany's Opportunity Residence Act came into force on December 31, 2022. It is designed to offer a chance to foreign nationals who have been living in Germany continuously for at least five years without secure legal status to regularize their stay and potentially remain in the country long-term.
The law allows anyone living in Germany for five years or more by the cut-off date of October 31, 2022 to apply for the temporary residence permit for themselves and their relatives, provided they have not been convicted of a criminal offense or repeatedly lied to authorities about their identity.
The permit gives successful applicants 18 months to meet the requirements for long-term residence. These include, for example, knowledge of German and being able to support themselves. During this year-and-a-half period, they have legal status and access to the labor market, which makes the conditions easier to meet.
The government estimates that a total of 136,868 people are eligible to benefit under the law. Within six months of its introduction, nearly 50,000 people had applied. The majority of those who have applied so far have had their applications approved.
The Opportunity Residence Act is valid for three years and can be applied for up to and including December 30, 2025. More information is available here.
With dpa