Answer:
Dear Reader,
first of all, congratulations on your friend getting a permanent employment contract.
Tolerated foreigners are persons who have no right of residence in Germany (such as rejected asylum seekers) according to Section 60a (4) of the German Residence Act.
With a minimum stay of 15 months in Germany, a tolerated foreigner can also enter into an employment relationship. This is stated in Section 32 (5) Nr. 2 of the German Employment Ordinance of Foreigners. I assume that the Foreigners Authority has been informed about this.
The Foreigners Authority has probably issued a discretionary toleration according to Section 60a (2) Sentence 3 of the German Residence Act. According to this section your friend can stay in Germany until 2020 in any case, unless he has a passport from his home country (Iraq). With it he could re-enter there, in which case his toleration here expires immediately.
He could submit a petition to the Hamburg Parliament (procedure for a hardship request). There he should be represented by a competent lawyer.
However, at the moment I do not see any problems with his toleration if he abides by the laws here in Germany, fulfills his employment contract and continues to integrate.
Good luck for your friend!
This article was first published in German and.