The so-called “right of residence for opportunities”, which was passed by the German Bundestag at the end of 2022, expired on 31 December 2025. On this basis, refugees and their family members who had lived in Germany for five years or more on the cut-off date of 31 October 2022 were able to obtain a 18-month “provisional” residence permit, thereby ending their previous “tolerated stay” status and no longer being required to leave the country. During these 18 months, they had the opportunity to meet the requirements for a permanent right of residence: earning their living predominantly independently, sufficient German language skills and clarification of their identity. According to its coalition agreement, the new federal government will not continue the right of opportunity, but may introduce a follow-up regulation with higher requirements.
From tolerated stay to residence
The “Mediendienst Integration” (Media Service Integration) has taken stock of the programme’s results using figures from the Federal Ministry of the Interior. According to these figures, around 137,000 people were eligible for the programme, and 88,300 of them were granted the right of residence. Most of them came from Iraq, the Russian Federation and Nigeria. Of these, 27,000 have been granted permanent residence, while 16,500 are still in their probationary period. The rest have either fallen back into tolerated status or left the country (voluntary departure or deportation).
Other options for a residence permit
The Mediendienst Integration article also provides information on other ways of obtaining a right of residence—for example, for tolerated persons who are “sustainably integrated”, young people and adolescents up to the age of 27 who have successfully completed school or vocational training, and people with “qualified vocational training” or three years of professional experience. It can be found at:
Ways out of the obligation to leave the country—the right of residence based on opportunity | Tolerated status | Refugees | Figures and studies | Mediendienst Integration
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