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Humanitarian stays
Right of asylum / refugee status
If you have been granted asylum or refugee status by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, you can apply for a residence permit.
You are granted the right to asylum / refugee status if you have left your home country due to a justified fear of persecution on the grounds of your race, religion, nationality, political conviction or membership of a certain social group.
Please bring the following with you…
If you would like to apply for or extend a residence permit as a recognised refugee or person entitled to asylum, please bring the following documents with you (if we do not already have them):
- A current passport photo
- A completed application form
- Proof of health insurance
- Fee: up to € 70.00 (for the travel document)
Further documents may be required in individual cases. If this applies to you, we will inform you accordingly.
Please note: An appointment is required for the granting and extension of the residence permit. Please send us an appointment request.
As a refugee / person entitled to asylum, you cannot be expected to visit your embassy in Germany. We will issue you with a travel document for refugees as a result. This travel document allows you to travel to all countries except your home country.
If you are in possession of identity documents (e.g. passport, ID card) from your home country, your identity in Germany has been clarified. If you do not have the corresponding documents, your residence permit will contain the addition “identity unclear”.
Period of validity
The residence permit is issued to you for three years. The travel document for refugees is also issued for three years. The extension is also for three years.
Paid employment
A residence permit as a recognised refugee / person entitled to asylum allows you to work without restriction. This means that you can become self-employed or take up employment.
Residence obligation
Once you have been granted refugee status / an entitlement to asylum, you will usually be issued with a residence obligation by the Arnsberg district government. The residence obligation stipulates that you must live in the location to which you have been assigned for three years. After three years, you can take up residence anywhere in Germany.
If you do not receive a residence obligation from the Arnsberg district government, you have a legal obligation to remain in North-Rhine Westphalia for three years.
However, the residence obligation may be lifted or altered before the three years have expired.
- Further information on relocation can be found on the website of the Arnsberg district government
Integration course
When you are granted a residence permit for the first time, you are entitled / obliged to attend an integration course. You can find further information on the page about the integration course.
Settling down
Once you have established yourself in Germany and accustomed yourself to German life and culture, you can apply for a settlement permit after three or five years. The settlement permit granted after three years requires a greater level of integration achievements than the one granted after five years. Further information can be found on the page about settlement permits.