- Some 4,300 residence permits were issued on the basis of the right of opportunity.
In the state of Hesse, as of May this year, approximately 4,300 foreigners have received a residence permit under the regulations of the Chance of Residence Act. Of these, around 3,360 residence titles were issued to long-term tolerated foreigners, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior in response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Green Party faction in the state parliament in Wiesbaden. Additionally, 130 spouses or partners, over 760 unmarried minor children, and nearly 40 full-age unmarried children who were minors at the time of entry, received this permit to reside. The ministry referred to data from the Central Foreigners' Register (as of 31.05.2024).
The Chance of Residence Act came into force on 31 December 2022. It applies to individuals who, by the cut-off date of 31 October 2022, had been tolerated, permitted, or held a residence permit in Germany for at least five years. They, along with their family members, can receive a kind of probationary residence permit for 18 months. Excluded are criminals and individuals who have repeatedly made false statements about their identity, thereby preventing their deportation.
Tolerated individuals are those who are subject to deportation but cannot be deported due to certain reasons, such as not having identity documents or being ill. Toleration is always time-limited.
The announcement about the residence permits was made by the Ministry of the Interior following a parliamentary inquiry by the Green Party faction. Under the Chance of Residence Act, the Ministry is responsible for issuing residence permits to eligible individuals.
