The “Opportunity Residence Permit” introduced by the Ampel Coalition in 2022 has expired in many cases, according to a response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to a query from “Welt”. As of March 31, 2025, a total of 83,273 people were registered in the Central Register of Foreign Nationals who had received an Opportunity Residence Permit under Paragraph 104c of the Residence Act in the past two years. According to a spokesperson, a total of 34,802 people had an active title. As of March 31, 2025, a total of 14,880 people had obtained a follow-up title under Paragraphs 25a or 25b of the Residence Act, meaning they have a longer-term perspective on staying in Germany. 5,227 people, however, have fallen back into a permit to stay, as they did not meet the criteria. They are once again considered deportable. 25,737 people had a so-called fictitious certificate or had submitted an application for a residence permit, said the spokesperson. The fictitious certificate is issued by foreign authorities when the validity of a title has expired, but a decision on a follow-up title has not yet been made.
The Ampel Coalition introduced the Opportunity Residence Permit at the end of 2022 to give a longer-term perspective to migrants who are obliged to leave the country but have been living in Germany for a long time. Anyone who had lived in Germany for at least five years by October 31, 2022 and met certain other criteria, could apply for the Opportunity Residence Permit, which was limited to 18 months. Within this period, the affected individuals were supposed to meet the remaining requirements for a longer-term stay under Paragraphs 25a or 25b of the Residence Act, such as sufficient livelihood security, German language skills and identity clarification.
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, it is a success that so many long-term residents have shown that they want to take advantage of the opportunity to clarify their identity and take up employment in order to obtain a longer-term perspective on staying. It is also a success that this path has led to a legally secure residency for 14,880 people. Similar expectations are held for many other individuals who are currently still in the Opportunity Residence Permit or have a fictitious certificate.
However, the Director of the State Agency for Migration in Berlin, Engelhard Mazanke, expressed criticism. “It is too early to draw a final conclusion on the Opportunity Residence Permit” he told “Welt”. “This temporary residence permit is not only administratively insane, it has also failed in terms of deadlines.” With 25,000 people currently having a fictitious certificate, one can only draw two conclusions: “Either the foreign authorities are overwhelmed by the number of applications or the people have not yet managed to meet the requirements for the follow-up residence permit.” For his agency, both are true.