As of: February 19, 2024, 9:45 a.m
By: Katrin Woitsch
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Just over a year ago, Hamid Anwar and his family had to fear that they would be deported to Pakistan - even though they had never lived there.
They have now managed to apply for a residence permit.
But the hurdles are high; without helpers they would probably fail because of the German bureaucracy.
Seeshaupt - The week begins for the Anwars on the train.
You must be at the consulate in Frankfurt by 9 a.m. on Monday morning.
Worried about being late, they board the train at 11 p.m. on Sunday evening.
Hamid Anwar took time off especially for this, the three children Rafiq, Aliza and Noor have a carnival holiday.
They are six to ten years old – and know how important the appointment at the consulate is.
Because it is Hamid Anwar's second attempt to apply for a passport there.
They want to do everything they can to be allowed to stay in Bavaria: Hamid Anwar, his wife Rabia and their children Aliza (8), Rafiq (10) and Noor (6) in their apartment in Seeshaupt.
© emanuel Gronau
A few weeks ago he took time off, got on the train with his tolerated permit and his identity card and filled out forms in Frankfurt.
After two months he received an email.
It said that his documents were not complete and that he would have to apply for everything again.
The Anwars have a helper at their side: Gerd Bader.
He has known the family since they came to Seeshaupt in the Weilheim-Schongau district a few years ago.
Since then, he has supported them on their journey - and sometimes he has to shake his head at the German bureaucracy, he says.
“I called the consulate three times and sent two emails - without getting any information about what was missing.” The Anwars have no choice but to try again.
For them there is a lot at stake.
The family spent Christmas a year ago in fear of deportation (we reported).
The letter from the Central Immigration Office arrived in mid-December.
The Anwars were asked to leave the country voluntarily.
Otherwise they risk being deported to Pakistan.
At that time, the family had already lived in Bavaria for eight years.
Two of the three children were born here, all five speak German well and they financed the courses themselves.
Because only with a toleration status did they have no right to German lessons.
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The family's children have never lived in Pakistan and do not understand the language
The children have friends and don't need support at school.
Hamid Anwar never lived in Pakistan.
He doesn't even understand the language.
But Hamid's parents had Pakistani passports and fled to Libya immediately after his birth.
He was a refugee all his life and never had a passport.
He and his wife fled across the Mediterranean to Germany in 2014.
The children were born here.
It is shameful that things are made so difficult for well-integrated families.
Gerd Bader
Their hope: the right to stay
When the letter came, not only Gerd Bader supported the Anwars - but also the lawyer Anna Frölich.
She discovered a 23-year-old asylum law ruling that says people cannot be deported if they would benefit from an impending change in the law.
The opportunity residence law came into force in January 2023.
It is intended for refugees like the Anwars.
Anyone who has lived in Germany with toleration for more than five years has the chance of a permanent right to remain.
Applicants have 18 months to learn German, find work and housing, and stand on their own two feet financially.
And present a passport.
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Hamid Anwar is particularly concerned about the last point.
If he doesn't get anywhere in Frankfurt again this time, he won't know what to do next.
He has already found a job at a solar center in Weilheim.
He is well integrated into the team.
The family currently lives in an apartment owned by the district office and is looking for a permanent home.
In order to be able to pay for this, Rabia Anwar is also looking for work.
She speaks German very well and is familiar with computers - but there would have to be a part-time job nearby so that she can look after the children in the afternoon.
Asylum workers in Bavaria report that the bureaucratic hurdles are enormous
According to the Interior Ministry, around 7,500 people in Bavaria have already received a residence permit through the Opportunity Residence Law.
14,500 applications were submitted to the immigration authorities last year.
1,380 of them were rejected.
For most of the applicants, the 18-month period is currently running to meet all the conditions for the permanent right to remain.
Many asylum helpers in Bavaria report that the bureaucratic hurdles for those tolerated cannot be overcome without help.
Gerd Bader also doesn't understand why things are made so difficult for well-integrated people.
“That’s shameful,” he says.
However, the Anwars are not discouraged.
You filled out forms and submitted documents again.
It will be weeks again before you hear from the consulate.
Nevertheless, they are full of hope that in 14 months they could finally have a perspective - and that the fear of being deported to a foreign country is finally behind them.
You can find even more current news from the Weilheim-Schongau district at Merkur.de/Weilheim.