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Scandal surrounding Vietnamese nursing trainees in Thuringia


Imagine leaving your homeland, investing your family's savings, and traveling thousands of kilometers to a foreign country, driven by the promise of a secure professional future and qualified training . But instead of the hoped-for integration into the German labor market, you suddenly find yourself in emergency accommodation – without pay, without a place to live, and with the constant fear of losing your residency status. The recent events surrounding Vietnamese nursing trainees in the Altenburger Land region not only reveal human tragedies but also shine a harsh light on the systemic weaknesses of an industry that has increasingly maneuvered itself into a dangerous dependence on government subsidies. As a law firm specializing in visa law, we see this not merely as individual misconduct but as a structural problem that jeopardizes the integrity of the German immigration system.


The legal fragility of the training stay

The legal basis for the entry of these young people is generally Section 16a of the German Residence Act (AufenthG) , which regulates residence for vocational training and further education. However, this section is contingent upon proof of sufficient means of subsistence. If, as in the present case, an employer withholds wages for months , not only is the financial security of those affected jeopardized, but also their legal standing in Germany. The perfidious logic of the Hose case is evident in the fact that the trainees became in arrears with their rent because the allegedly deducted amounts never reached the landlord. From a legal perspective, this constitutes a serious breach of the employer 's duty of care and the contractual agreements of the apprenticeship under the Nursing Professions Act. The fact that the police ultimately had to evict them is a damning indictment of a system that claims to promote skilled worker immigration but neglects the protection of immigrants from unscrupulous actors.


The fatal dependence on subsidies

As a law firm, we are particularly critical of the argument put forward by the affected business owner, who attributes the unpaid wages to delayed subsidies from the state of Thuringia . This reveals a questionable structure within the placement and care sector . It is a legal and political scandal when a private company makes the fulfillment of fundamental labor law obligations —such as the payment of apprentice wages—dependent on government subsidies. A healthy business must be able to operate without constant government injections . When the existence of a care service, and thus the fate of young migrants, hinges solely on a €5,000 per capita bonus, this has nothing to do with responsible business practices. This subsidy mentality reduces people to mere pawns in a funding game, while actual economic success becomes secondary.


Official control and the consequences of license revocation

The State Administrative Office reacted in this case and revoked the accreditation for the training program in 2025. This occurred because necessary qualifications, such as the presence of practical instructors, were lacking. For the Vietnamese men affected, this official step initially worsened their precarious situation: Without an accredited training company , they face the revocation of their residence permit under Section 16a Paragraph 4 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG) unless a new training position is found quickly. We often observe that the wheels of bureaucracy turn far too slowly or leave those affected in legal limbo. The fact that a solution has now been found in Schmölln and the young men are allowed to continue working as nursing assistants is a rare stroke of luck for local government engagement, but it should not obscure the fact that the system has failed here.


Conclusion: An urgent appeal for more protection and less subsidies.

The case of the Vietnamese trainees clearly demonstrates that legislators and licensing authorities must scrutinize more closely to whom they entrust with the responsibility for foreign skilled workers . We demand a stricter separation between entrepreneurial risk and the financial security of trainees. A placement or care company that cannot survive without government funding should not be granted permission to recruit people from third countries. For those affected, we can only hope that their new beginning in the Altenburg region will be sustainable. Legally speaking, this case serves as a stark reminder that visa law must always include victim protection to prevent the instrumentalization of migrants as recipients of subsidies.


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