The Pham family: After 8 years of fight Finally, residence permit in Berlin!

The Pham family: After 8 years of fight Finally, residence permit in Berlin!

In a story that testifies to great hope and tireless efforts, Pham Phi Son, a former Vietnamese GDR contract worker, and his family finally found peace. After years of fighting the impending deportation and moving from Chemnitz to Berlin, you have now received a residence permit. This reports nd current .

The family was faced with a variety of challenges. As early as 2016, when Pham returned too late after a vacation in Vietnam, an odyssey began, which she had lived underground for almost two years. The city of Chemnitz decided to withdraw his residence permit in 2017 because he stayed in Vietnam for more than six months. Instead of a German passport, the family received a request for departure at the birth of his daughter - a real deep blow for the family that was firmly rooted in Germany.

The support of the community

over the years, however, resistance gathered. Many Chemnitzers are committed to the family. Protests, demos and an online petition that collected a whopping 107,000 signatures contributed to drawing the public aware of their situation. MPs from the SPD, left and the Greens as well as the Catholic Church were at their side. This support meant that the Chemnitz authorities finally agreed to move the family to Berlin, where they found a new home.

The criticism of the Chemnitz immigration authority remains. Frank Richter, a former Saxon SPD member of the state parliament, criticized the authorities' decision, while the Berlin administration recognized the family as a hardship. "Saxony needs well -integrated workers like the Pham family," he emphasized, and solidarity with their pursuit of a normal life. The parents now work in a canteen and her daughter Emilia attends a Berlin school. A ray of hope in a long dark time.

legal hurdles and the way to the residence permit

But the legal hurdles had to be taken. Despite a failed attempt at deportation and the negative decision by the Saxon Hardening Commission, the fight for the family was not for nothing. Jenny Fleischer, the family's lawyer, was convinced that the family had a right to a residence permit, and fought for it.

Emily Barnickel from the Berlin Refugee Council found that the Berlin authorities had a different attitude in dealing with the family than their Chemnitz colleagues. This different handling shows how important a uniform handling of questions of the right of residence is, especially for people who have been integrative of our society for many years.

Despite the challenges they have lived through, the family now has a new beginning. Pham Phi Son, his wife and daughter finally have the security that had been denied them for a long time. For the benefit of its new neighborhood in Berlin and the entire society, you will continue to pursue how your story develops. We wish the Pham family all the best on their new path!