The Hardship Commission (HFK) can enable foreigners who are obligated to leave the country to be granted a residence permit for urgent humanitarian or personal reasons. To achieve this, contact must be made with a member of the HFK, who then submits a so-called self-referral application to the HFK, on the basis of which a decision is made about the foreigner’s residence.
If the Hardship Commission determines with a two-thirds majority of its members that, despite the foreigner’s enforceable obligation to leave, urgent humanitarian or personal reasons justify continued presence in the federal territory, the Chairman of the Hardship Commission requests the Saxon Minister of the Interior to issue a residence permit.
The Chairman of the Hardship Commission is the Saxon Commissioner for Foreign Nationals Geert Mackenroth.
The Saxon Refugee Council e.V. has the permanent right to nominate a member of the HFK. Currently, an employee of the QuBe project at the Saxon Refugee Council e.V., Jörg Eichler, has taken on this task.
Steffen Miroll assists Mr. Eichler in his membership. For inquiries, please contact hfk@sfrev.de. It is urgently requested that you first read through the linked checklist for the Hardship Commission so that the most important questions are already answered.
Information
Further information about the Hardship Commission, its members, and the procedure can be found on the website of the Saxon Commissioner for Foreign Nationals. Of particular note are the handbook for advisory centers and the information brochure in multiple languages.
The legal framework is governed by the Regulation and Rules of Procedure of the Saxon Hardship Commission as well as Section 23a of the Residence Act.
Applications
To be treated as a hardship case, an application form and a declaration of consent must be completed. The consent for the processing of personal data by HFK members can be found in the so-called Appendix 2 – Consent [PDF]. It must be signed by all household members who have completed their 15th year of age.