Vietnamese family finally welcome in Berlin after years of fight!

Vietnamese family finally welcome in Berlin after years of fight!

Berlin, Deutschland - The case of the Pham family family has caused a lot of excitement in recent years, especially in Chemnitz and beyond. On July 18, 2025, the State Office for Immigration in Berlin became active and issued Pham Phi Son and his family the long -awaited residence permit. But how did this turning point come about? taz.de reports on the moving history of a former GDR contract worker who lives in Germany for more than 35 years.

The beginnings of Pham Phi Son go back to 1987 when he came to Karl-Marx-Stadt as a contract worker from Vietnam. Since then he has worked in various restaurants in Chemnitz and always paid taxes. His daughter Emilia was born in Germany in 2017 and flows fluently German. However, the idyll was suddenly interrupted in 2017 when the family was withdrawn due to a stay in Vietnam, which was medically due to several months.

a tough struggle for the right to stay

The family's legal problems took their course when the Saxon Administrative Court and the Hardening Commission made the application for a right to stay. Despite the medical necessity of Pham’s stay in Vietnam. Medical certificates from Germany confirmed that he needed therapy. An unsuccessful attempted deportation caused the family to underline for almost two years so as not to be separated. Labournet ultimately also documents public attention to the topic.

Despite the support of 107,000 people from an online petition, including politicians from the SPD, Left and Greens as well as parents from Emilia's school, the Chemnitz city administration initially remained immovable. Frank Richter, a former Saxon SPD member of the state parliament, regretted the lack of solution from the authorities. Ultimately, the family received approval in 2023 to move to Berlin, where they have now started a new life. In Berlin the family already found jobs in a canteen and the daughter attended a school.

The legal territory in Germany

But how is it going on for families like that of Pham? The new chances of the Federal Government are currently causing excitement. This law, which is already in force, aims to offer a residence permit for many years. This could also be important for the Pham family. Above all, it should serve to end the chain debts and to create a new beginning in migration and integration policy.

The new law contains regulations that enable an 18-month residence permit for well-integrated people who live in Germany, have not made any crime guilty and are committed to the democratic basic order. This offers hope for many whose fate feels like that of the Pham family. For you and others who strive for a right to stay, it is now important to take the right steps to continue your life in Germany.