Berlin, July 5, 2022 – On the occasion of the German Federal Cabinet's decision on the "Opportunities for Residency" law on July 6, 2022, twelve organizations are calling for refugees to be granted equal rights. An action will take place in front of the Federal Chancellery on July 6, starting at 9:30 a.m., coinciding with the Cabinet meeting. "The Federal Government now has the opportunity to introduce urgent improvements for children and young people regarding their right to remain, family reunification, and access to vocational training – but the current draft legislation still needs to be improved," demands Joshua Hofert, Head of Communications at terre des hommes .
The current draft legislation addresses only a small portion of the improvements announced in the coalition agreement. Furthermore, the draft is not yet internally consistent and still leaves considerable room for interpretation. This applies particularly to the regulations concerning the right to remain. "The goal is good and right: to give people who currently lack secure status a chance. However, these regulations must be designed in such a way that entire groups of people, including many minors, are not excluded from the outset. The practice of long-term tolerated stays and precarious residency status must end; this requires generous regulations regarding the right to remain," explains Joshua Hofert.
Besides the inadequate design of the residency regulations, the draft law lacks several urgently needed changes: The regulations on family and sibling reunification announced in the coalition agreement remain unchanged. Furthermore, the bans on work and vocational training are not abolished. Both areas are of great importance to refugees, so the government and the parliamentary groups should seize the opportunity to implement these long-overdue changes as quickly as possible. "The paradigm shift in refugee and migration policy announced by the coalition government is not yet in sight. It must now be reflected in concrete legislative proposals," said Joshua Hofert.
On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, the legislative package on equal opportunities for refugees to obtain residency permits is scheduled to be adopted by the Federal Cabinet. Starting at 9:30 a.m. terre des hommes and eleven other organizations will be holding a rally and public action in front of the Federal Chancellery to draw attention to the shortcomings in the draft legislation.
- Call for "Opportunities for all"
- Joint statement by terre des hommes , youth without borders and the Federal Association of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees on the law introducing a right of residence based on opportunity
An initiative by: Federal Association of Unaccompanied Minor Refugees | Berlin Refugee Council | GRIPS Theater | Eritrean Family Reunification Initiative | Youth Without Borders | terre des hommes Germany Supported by: BBZ – Counseling and Support Center for Young Refugees and Migrants | JUMEN | Berlin Migration Council | PRO ASYL Federal Working Group for Refugees | Sprungbrett Zukunft Berlin | Worldwide – the volunteer group of Asylum in the Church Berlin-Brandenburg.