In spite of concerns that it would promote illegal immigration, the German government proposes to make it simpler for people to seek for citizenship. In order to combat a skills shortfall burdening Germany at a time of slowing development, the government says it wanted to increase immigration and training.
‘Anyone who lives and works here permanently should also be entitled to vote and be elected; they should be part of our nation with all the rights and obligations that go with it,’ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. ‘And this should be totally without regard to origin, skin tone, or religious preference’, he said.
The maximum amount of time a person needs wait to become a citizen will be reduced from eight to five, and there will be no longer be any limitations on having dual citizenship, according to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. For members of the so-called ‘Gastarbeiter’ generation, citizenship criteria for German language proficiency would also be lowered.
The three changes that make up the new citizenship policies are:
1. Rather than the current eight years, immigrants with legal status in Germany will be able to seek for citizenship after five years.
2. Children who are born in Germany and have at least one parent who has been there lawfully for five years or more are automatically granted German citizenship.
3. You may hold multiple citizenships.
Germany would become more comparable to other European nations after the reforms. With 8.6% of all immigrants living there naturalizing, Sweden had the highest naturalisation rate in the EU in 2020. A 1.1% rate was observed in Germany.
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