You may know that as an asylum seeker like me needs the approval of the Foreigners’ Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde - ABH) in Meiningen as well as Jena to change my residency from one to the other city.
Miloud Lahmar Cherif, an Algerian refugee in Germany since December 2009, I’m married and my wife comes from Ukraine, we have a child and live currently in Meiningen. I’m also an activist for the rights of refugees and migrants with the VOICE Refugee Forum since 2010.
I completed two German language courses – one that took place in VHS (Public Higher School) Suhl and started end of 2011 and the second in the Technical University of Ilmenau that started end of 2012. Both courses where financed privately through solidarity donations. I’ve been admitted to study informatics (Bachelor of Science) at the Technical University (TU) Ilmenau starting from winter semester 2013 after I provided all necessities to study in any German University. I’ve also received a scholarship from a well-known German foundation. After studying two semesters in the TU Ilmenau, I decided to continue my studies at Jena University. End of June and as soon after 3 days from sending all the required documents for admission to Jena University I received their admission. After that I had to get the exmatriculation from TU Ilmenau and that was done in not more than a few minutes. I have to say that everything was running smoothly with both universities … Jena and Ilmenau even though the employees there must take care of thousands of Students those who are studying and those who are coming.
You may know that as an asylum seeker like me needs the approval of the Foreigners’ Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde - ABH) in Meiningen as well as Jena to change my residency from one to the other city.
As a first step I visited the ABH Jena together with a friend of the BREAK ISOLATION Networks and we were told by Frau Kaßler, that I have to make my application to Meiningen ABH for formal decision and that ABH Jena will receive it aligned with a copy of my file. After handing in my application to the Meiningen ABH on 21st of August the application was sent to ABH Jena on 22nd of August. On the 07th of August I called the administration chief of ABH JENA Mrs. Gerda Horatschek. She said that my application was on her desk since the 01st of August and that she was not able yet to know anything about it.
Notice here now, how slow the ABH Jena is already working compared with Jena FSU bureaucracy and TU Ilmenau as well. In that call Mrs. Horatschek did not forget to remind me that I am still on suspension of deportation (‘Duldung’). I answered her that all students have the same exams and the same start and are not treated differently by their type of status at the university as we are all humans! She asked me to call her beginning of the following week and promised she will look into my file. But when I called her as she avoided to talk to me directly and gave message through her deputy Mrs. Holdschick that they did not have been able yet to rule a decision yet. She suggested that I should stay with Meiningen ABH and look for a flat to rent in Jena, but this I would have to pay myself as an intermediate “solution” (“Zwischenlösung”).
One have to note here that my scholarship will not sustain me and my family and we’ll not receive any more money from AsybLG starting from this October 2014. Mrs. Horatschek should know this because I also did sent a copy of the scholarship paper to her. So Jena ABH should take care only of paying the shelter according to AsylbLG. I refused to agree to this intermediate suggestion (‘Zwischenlösung’) because I could not take it as a solution at all. It was for me clear by that time that the ABH Jena is avoiding to take decision and trying to gain time on my back instead of committing for a real solution. I told Mrs. Holdschick that I will go to protest because of this and she told me that I should not put pressure (“erpressen”) on her. So in her opinion protest is criminal extortion?!
And as I promised Frau Holdschick, here I am - protesting this inequality and unfair treatment. And I will not stop till I get my rights of life in dignity.
I’ve showed above that it is not just a matter of finances like the ABH is trying to suggest but it is not more than ordinary repression that is executed daily by all Foreigners’ Registration Offices in Germany. ABH Jena is not an exception and should answer our question: WHY is that so?.
One has to consider that I must find a flat in Jena before the start of the semester and you can imagine how hard it is especially in Jena in this time of the year, when thousands on student are preparing to (re)settle in Jena. Every single day of delay is complicating my situation even more. But this fact seems to be of no concern to the ABH in Jena!
Isn’t my case ‘interesting’ for your ‘Integration programs’? Are your policies just for media consumption rather than realty? Why you try to make life harder for those taking their own initiative? These questions are: To Whom It May Concern!
I didn’t expect that a simple matter like changing my residency for the above explained reasons will go as far as that I have to protest for it, but once we arrived here in Germany, we are all responsible – everyone should take part in this responsibility and support in the best possible way he/she can.
My demand is very clear and fair: LIFE and STUDY in JENA! Jena Ausländerbehörde should recognize this without any delay or evasion!
Miloud Lahmar Cherif
http://www.thevoiceforum.org
http://breakisolation.blogsport.de