Vietnamese Pham Phi Son's chances of getting the right to stay are dwindling again

Apparently, the chances of Pham Phi Son and his family being able to stay are diminishing again. The Chemnitz immigration authorities have taken up the case of the 65-year-old Vietnamese, who has been living in Germany for more than three decades. But there is still a lack of necessary proof of integration, said city spokesman Matthias Nowak on Thursday. This included language skills and a permanent employment relationship. Pham has missed all of this for years. From the current perspective, the city will therefore hardly be able to grant him a longer-term right to stay, Nowak confirmed. The “Freie Presse” had previously reported on this.

The family is currently tolerated, the period expires according to the information at the beginning of April. Nowak emphasized that the immigration authorities are willing to give Pham Phi Son a future here in Germany. According to the applicable law, he would have to prove his integration achievements. There will be an appointment with the authorities in the near future.

Otherwise, the city proposed a renewed approach to the state's hardship commission. She had already dealt with Pham twice and hadn't seen a case of hardship.

It cannot be ruled out that the committee will deal with Pham and his family again. The prerequisite is that a member presents new facts, according to the office of Saxony's immigration officer Geert Mackenroth. Then, as chairman of the commission, he would consider re-admitting an application in the Pham case.

"This is absurd official ping-pong that is being carried out on the back of this family," criticized Dave Schmidtke from the Saxon Refugee Council. It is known to all that Pham has made mistakes in the past. However, an entire family is being taken into “kin custody” here. In the past few months, she has pushed ahead with her integration immensely. Schmidtke pointed out that Pham and his wife have had employment contracts with a catering company since November, but are still in the probationary period.

The fate of the Vietnamese and his family moves many people beyond Saxony's borders. In an online petition by the refugee council, around 100,000 citizens spoke out against deportation and for the family to remain in Saxony. In mid-February, several hundred people showed solidarity with Pham at a demonstration in Chemnitz. He was recently a guest on the show "Late Night Berlin", where presenter Klaas Heufer-Umlauf campaigned for him. There Pham reported sleepless nights for him and his family.

He came to the GDR in 1987 as a contract worker and was later granted permanent residency. However, because he has been back in Vietnam for more than half a year and thus violated the requirements of the German authorities, he has been threatened with deportation ever since. That's why he went into hiding for a while.